In New York, if you build a luxury apartment building that includes some units for low-income people you get to add more luxury floors beyond what the zoning laws normally allow, which means big money. It’s called “inclusionary zoning,” and it’s a good idea – except when low-income residents have to enter through a separate door at the back of the building, use an elevator that serves only their low-income floors, and have no access to amenities enjoyed by the luxury crowd. This is the design for a 33-story building to be built on Riverside Boulevard between 61st and 62nd streets, owned by Extell Development Company and various entities of private equity giant The Carlyle Group. The shared luxury amenities include full-size basketball courts and swimming pools, but low-income residents whose apartments are accessible only through the back door dont share in them; they get their own “community room” on the ground floor. Developers shouldnt be able to pretend this is inclusion, and thereby reap the financial benefits; its just another form of exclusion. (For the record, the Bloomberg administration approved this, not De Blasios.) Being rich in America today means not having to come across anyone who isn’t.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:09:25 +0000
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