I hope that by the end of our stay in New York (whenever that will be), I will have a better idea of this intricately difficult system. ![]() Yet there is also affordable housing released to the market that does not really deserve the name. I have written a bit more about the housing market here. Turnover is notoriously slow: once allocated a place in public housing it becomes so coveted that average rental periods exceed the private, open market by way of multiples. Waiting lists for New York public housing are formidably long: there are now as many individuals/families on them as there are apartments (north of 200,000). New York’s affordable housing system is the cause of much consternation from those outside it and emotional defence from those on the inside. The South Bronx congressional district across the Harlem river is the poorest in the United States. And while $800 per month may not seem much, average incomes are much lower than the median in New York. There is a growing concern among the residents that gentrification will eventually drive out the largely African-American tenants, with white middle-class taking their place. ![]() Developers back then were given financial incentives (tax breaks, guaranteed return on investment) when building these big developments.įollowing a series of recent (and controversial) rent increases, tenants with a two-bedroom and balcony apartment still pay only about $800 per month. Unsurprisingly, units are still in high demand and long waiting lists have formed. The development is a Mitchell-Lama development, which means that most tenants have some form of rent control capping their monthly payments. The architect was a so-called Seymour Joseph, who only recently passed away at the biblical age of 96. A great long-form article for background to the current debate surrounding the New York City Housing Association can be read here.Įsplanade Gardens, boundaries West 145th Street, Lenox Avenue & West 148th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr BlvdĮsplanade Gardens were built in 1967 and comprise six 27-storey buildings with a total of 1,870 apartment buildings. He was released without bail and ordered to return to court on March 11, 2020.I took a short bike ride up north today and took a few photos of housing developments from the 1960s. Sokolovski, was charged with five counts each of third-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree grand larceny, and one count of first-degree scheme to defraud. The defendant never delivered on his alleged promises for help with the apartments and refused to return the payments. One victim gave him $25,000, while the other gave him $4,000. After receiving the initial $45,000, he requested additional cash payments from two of the victims for other apartments. All three individuals were interested in buying apartments in the complex, and Sokolovski allegedly presented himself as someone with access to management.įurthermore, Sokolovski allegedly told each victim to pay him $15,000 in cash to help them avoid the waiting list and that the apartments would become available within six months to a year. The victim then introduced two friends to the defendant. Securing an apartment typically involves a lengthy waiting period. ![]() Mitchell-Lama developments are state-regulated complexes of affordable cooperative apartments. "We will not allow opportunists and scammers to corrupt the process by which eligible prospective tenants gain access to reasonably priced housing."Īccording to the investigation, between October 2015 and March 2016, the defendant, who lives in the Amalgamated Warbasse Houses located at 2790 West 5th Street in Coney Island, a Mitchell-Lama property, was introduced to the first victim through a mutual friend. "This defendant allegedly exploited the frustrations shared by many Brooklyn residents hoping to find affordable housing, despite a booming real estate market," said Gonzalez. Kim Greenberg, of Coney Island, had no ties to Mitchell-Lama management and did not deliver on his promises to help secure the apartments. The alleged thief, Akim Sokolovski, 63, a.k.a. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today on Tuesday announced that a Brooklyn man was arrested and arraigned on on grand larceny charges, after he allegedly received $74,000 in cash payments from three women who wanted to buy Mitchell-Lama apartments in Coney Island.
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