Several publications were reporting the expected defeat of a proposed development project in Manhattan this week. The 15-story project was the first private application of the city's new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy.
"A proposed 15-story residential building in a low-rise neighborhood in upper Manhattan has been halted amid community opposition, delivering a disappointment to Mayor Bill de Blasio as he seeks to expand affordable housing throughout the city," report Sally Goldenberg and Abby Baird.
Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez invoked the specter of gentrification in voicing his opposition to the project. "Hundreds of residents" joined Rodriguez to protest the proposed development before the City Council vote.
"While the building would not have put a sizable dent in the mayor's goal of creating 80,000 new low- to middle-income apartments, it was symbolically significant," report Goldeberg and Baird. "It marked first private application under the city's new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy, which passed the City Council in March."
Instead of building the larger building, which would have included 178 new below-market-rate apartments, the developer could potentially now build a 14-story building with zero affordable units without seeking city approvals.
Audrey Wachs also reports on the failed development proposal, providing additional details about the rezoning necessary to build the defeated proposal.
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