Haves and Have-Nots

Hi Everyone,

Sometimes you hear or read about something and say, what are they thinking, that makes no sense. Well, today's blog is about just that.

And the back story goes like this... In order for a Manhattan condo skyscraper to be built with government incentives/assistance, the developer had to set aside a certain number of units with affordable rents. The rest of the condos are very pricey, they most likely are for the 1% ers. From the outside looking in, the deal seems to be OK. That type of deal is used widely in New York City. But, when you look into the realities, the deal may not be so good, especially for the renters of the affordable apartments.

NYC is a city where the rich and relatively poor have long lived and commuted side by side. The civil rights acts of the 1960's, stopped the segregation of African Americans and other minorities. But now a new trend is appearing that should have people talking about whether it is appropriate and even legal. The new trend is buildings with separate amenities and even entrances for the haves and have-nots. A few buildings now have a side entrance for the renters, with the main entrance only for the people who could afford to buy the pricey condos. There are even some buildings where the renters aren't allowed to use amenities like fitness centers. In those same buildings, the owners of condos don't even have to pay a bloody cent to use their fitness centers.

Is it just me or are the renters being treated like second class citizens? Of course they are. How can this be legal?  Owners are using affordable housing tax breaks, zoning breaks and other incentives to create a caste system. Developers say that they are motivated by business, not bias and reserving some prime features for higher paying residents is the price of having affordable housing in hot neighborhoods. I guess a prime feature is the main entrance, which the renters of affordable apartments are forbidden from using. So the developers have the have-nots walk around to the side of of the building where they won't be seen. Doesn't that sound like bias and segregation to you? It does to me. This is all about money and greed.

Will this lead to separate entrances to Neiman-Marcus like stores or high end restaurants, etc., etc.? I think not, but what is happening with the high end residential buildings has got to stop asap. Jean Green Dorsey agrees with me, as she filed a complaint with the NYC Human Rights Commission this past spring over her Upper West Side building's fitness center. She and her fellow rent stabilized tenants are not allowed to use the fitness center even after they offered to pay.

Obviously, common sense was never a consideration and now these developers/owners are receiving the bad publicity that they rightfully deserve.

Til next.

Peter