NYC Approves Condo Development with ‘Poor Door’
A controversial plan by a New York City developer to build a luxury condo complex with a separate entrance for lower-income residents was given city approval on Monday.
Has luxury living finally gone too far?
According to the New York Post, a controversial plan by New York developer Extell to build a luxury condo complex with a separate entrance for lower-income residents was approved by the New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Monday.
The project would put a 33-story building in New York’s Upper West Side and plans to have 219 luxury units with waterfront views. The development includes 55 affordable housing units in a “building segment’’ facing the street.
The proposal was approved under the Inclusionary Housing Program, which allows developers to build larger properties as long as they also provide some on- or off-site low-income housing. For doing so, developers can receive generous tax breaks.
Affordable units will be available for families whose annual income is $51,540 or less. Residents of low-income units will not be allowed to use some of the more high-end amenities like the gym or swimming pool.
As can be expected, there was plenty of outcry over the “poor door’’ approval on Twitter:
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However, New York Post columnist Steve Cuozzo points out that the separate entrance design is a legal requirement and is commonplace at other residential complexes.
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