It’s official. Affordable apartments in Brooklyn are disappearing quickly. This building at 410 Tompkins Ave., in Bed Stuy is listed under New York City’s “Affordable Housing” program, with the 11 affordable units going for $2,200 for the 4 studio apartments and $2,300 for the seven 1 bedroom apartments. Keep in mind, these are apartments listed and set aside as “affordable” by New York City.<\/p>\n
This explains why so many young people are facing anxiety and mental illness. They are concerned about how they will be able to live in New York City with the rents skyrocketing through the roof. Is it too late for New York City’s elected officials to get serious with developers? Maybe not. If more elected officials had a backbone like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the city might be able to figure out a way to ease the anxiety among young people who grew up in New York City. New York City does have NYCHA, which will be privatized if young people don’t get in the fight. The developers are circling the NYCHA buildings like vultures, ready to scoop up all that property, while the elected officials stand by completely ignorant of the process.<\/p>\n
Developers are starting with the NYCHA parking lots, while the elected officials stand on podiums touting such deals as “good for the community”, but not understanding that those parking lot developments are the entry for the developers to get their hands on the entire NYCHA developments. Elected officials are good at using trickery to win elections, but they are no match for the trickery that the developers bring to the game when it comes to taking city and state land for pennies on the dollar. This is a game where there are 2 winners, the elected officials who make a career out of tricking the people and the developers who grab all the land by tricking the elected officials. The losers are New Yorkers who pay for it all. This is a vicious cycle that will not end because people are just not that involved and they don’t understand the process or the game.<\/p>\n
Here’s the simple math; if New York City gives tax breaks to the developers, but more people move into the neighborhoods where development is taking place, then the cost for city services increase, which means those costs still have to be paid. Who pays for those services? You got it, the people. The cost for everything, including transit fares, tolls, parking tickets and rents continue to increase for the people but the developers are getting richer every year. As a direct result of elected officials being ignorant on development, young people in New York City are suffering.<\/p>\n