Columbia University will be building affordable housing in Hamilton Heights. Rumors had it that the block of storefronts on Broadway between 147th and 148th Street's west side would eventually be a Columbia University building have now been verified. Permits on the plywood fence out in front of the site has plans laid out for a 12-story building at 3595 Broadway that will take up the full block in West Harlem. Excavation machines are currently on site and posted information has the project being completed by Fall 2014. The above rendering comes directly from the CU development website: LINK. Columbia's Broadway presence will be fully linked with this development since Hamilton Heights is the only neighborhood that does not have a major CU building located within it.
Correction. Apparently this will all be affordable housing for the area and will add on to the university's real estate portfolio.
ReplyDeleteThe Eminent Domain ruling had only impact on The Storage Place and a Gas Station which were the last two hold outs, no? I can't imagine people were living in the storage buildings were they? This would be better if they were dorms for graduate students.
ReplyDeleteCorrect. Some of the units will be for the residents that lived in CU owned buildings within the Manhattanville site that have been or will be torn down. The university bought up a lot of property and there was a residential component to it. Other units apparently for open market for those who qualify.
ReplyDeleteI just don't see how people think it's healthy for a community to continue to build more and more affordable housing.
ReplyDeleteHarlem needs 10,000 more market rate apartments - more market rate apartments will drive prices down and make it more affordable for everyone - not just those who "win the lottery" -
Long term Harlemites either own or have a rent stabilized apartment - no long-term Harlemites are being priced out. Build more market rate units please.
when they say affordable housing. is it synomous for projects? I keep seeing that term tossed around and I have no clue? If yes, why would a college be housing low income ppl instead of providing housing for their students in dorms?
ReplyDeleteDouglas, not sure if people who recently bought in Harlem necessarily want to drive prices down. Agred, more market rate apartments would be nice, however.
ReplyDeleteThat is f'in ugly. I just hate these new looking developments. Absolutely no character. There ought to be strict guidelines for architectural facades.
ReplyDeleteUgh.
Affordable are not projects. They are usually income restricted apartments. Apartments are offered for a low price because of subsidies either offered by Federal, State grants or in this case as a contingency for CU to build and expand in Manhattanville. These apartments usually are for lower income families. A better mis would be market rate, since Harlem itself commands a lower price and market priced units would give better options for families who want to stay in NYC. Thus, NYC gets the benefit of reaping these taxes instead of say...NJ or ...LI. One way to help turn the tide is get involved in your Community Board meetings and express your feelings. Write the City, The Mayor, HPD, Dept of Buildings or better yet - write developers and tell them how awesome Harlem is. If more developers buy land, more market rate housing will come. Tell your friends to rent apartments here, and the market should evolve with more market rate condos, etc.
ReplyDeleteChris, but I think most of us can agree that more market-rate apartments driving prices down is better for most people, so most residents don't get priced out of the rental market (which is clearly happening now).
ReplyDeleteThank you @ Guest for clearing that up. Can you tell me then the difference between income restricted apartments and projects?
ReplyDeleteI find that ppl that live in the projects have a don't care attitude and in turn don't take care of the property.
I also don't want Harlem to turn into Manhattan, where it is not affordable. I want people to live in affordable housing but cherish and take care of the property (unlike in the projects)! So ppl living in affordable housing, most ppl have jobs and go to work each day? Hey that is me! LOL. I don't see a problem with that. Unlike people that live in the projects and don't work.
This building is going to be for people that were due to participate in the Tenant Interim Lease apartment purchase program had Columbia not moved into the area. This program allowed renters to buy their apartments from the city (the city took ownership in these buildings due to tax liens which often needed a lot of repairs. Because Columbia wanted these properties for their campus expansion- they offered to relocate these residents into a new building at the University's expense. In essence, these people will be Co-op owners in a newly constructed building- though the incomes required to buy will be restricted.
DeleteHarlem is in Manhattan.
DeleteSM, Harlem was for a longest time so vastly different from Manhattan below 110th street, it is almost understandable to think that Harlem was not in Manhattan. The new Harlem is now so much more like the rest of Manhattan in many ways, one way being Dave’s memorial garden mentioned on the next post where the new Harlemites are beautifying corners of this great neighborhood that where long abandoned and neglected by the last generation of Harlemites.
DeleteI don't judge. Just the facts, ma'am. Harlem is in Manhattan. That's why Rand McNally made maps.
DeleteIncome restrictions can be as high as $150K HH income. "Affordable" in this context is a very very broad term. It can mean middle-class as well as lower-clas.
ReplyDeleteahhh gotcha. thanks for clarifying this for me
Delete"Affordable" is very broad and it seems relative to the rest of Manhattan. I feel like it's usually something like $300 -$400K for a one bedroom or something like that. Affordable looks more like pretty well off to me.
DeleteAffordable is a broad term. In fact, Near the West 145th Street corridor, very smart buildings were build a few years ago and I hope the city continues with this definition of "Affordable." They offered lower than market rate coops for families to buy in order to keep their tax dollars in the city. Affordable here meant 200-400K for middle income. The income restriction was placed originally at $192K household. But some have grown due to the increase in the area's overall median income. (some now allow HH income as high as $200-250K / year. Currently, a lot of these coops are large and in full service buildings. And believe me, they take care of their area and surroundings. We need more middle income programs like this, especially for Harlem. To encourage more programs like this, contact HPD and express your desire to see NYC keep working middle class families in the city
ReplyDeletePlease don't encourage this nonsense - we need market rate housing. We don't need the government to subsidize housing for some lucky few. Taxpayers should pay for their own housing - not their own housing plus the housing of some lucky few.
DeleteI think I agree with Douglas - I definitely want to keep working middle class families in the city, but what you're promoting is a boutique solution to a systemic problem. We need more housing stock, period, so that a middle-class family can buy a decent affordable home in NYC without specific subsidization. (That is, sure, broad subsidization of housing is great, but not when it's targeted only at a very limited number of residents, possibly not those who need it most).
DeleteThe idea or opinion that Harlem is not "really" a part of Manhattan (that I've encountered many times from others) is one of the reasons that Harlem has had so many problems over the decades. It's as much a part of Manhattan as the rest of the neighborhoods in this City. To a lot of long-timers in Harlem, they feel as ignored as the Staten Islanders who feel ignored by the rest of the city.
ReplyDelete