This is what people have to understand:
While affordable housing is a real need, and cities should do whatever they can to make it a reality, it is not a
right to be
demanded. These developments together are adding about 700 units of what is defined as affordable housing. Some may argue that they are not affordable enough, but if the city were developing 3 large housing projects in the area, they would object to that also. Not everyone will be happy, whatever you do, but they'll get over it.
Quote:
It’s important that those who will be directly impacted by the proposed megatowers have a say about what’s happening in their own neighborhood,” said Paula Z. Segal, Community Development Project attorney for local groups. “The special district will help ensure that the people who live and work in the Two Bridges community have a say in how the neighborhood grows and for whom new housing is developed here.”
The group argues that Two Bridges community, where the three developments have been proposed, is a low-to-middle income community. The special district rezoning proposal would create long-term protections for tenants including limits on banks and drugstores and all new construction would be limited to 350 feet.
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Again, NO. You don't get to argue that because your neighborhood is shitty, you have a right to keep it that way. You don't. These residents trying to restrict who can move into their neighborhood is no different than more affluent neighborhoods trying to keep people out based on race, religion, etc. And also, trying to limit the height is just trying to limit the number of people who will move into the neighborhood. And limits on banks and drugstores? It's New York.
Now, as I've said before, what they should have done is gone to protest the Sutton Place rezoning, which was also a spot rezoning to block towers. They didn't get to block the main tower they were fighting, but the rezoning went in anyway. The NIMBYs there were after the same things, though mostly to protect their views. The city listened to the more affluent crowd. The Lower Eastside NIMBYs should have been at every meeting there to protest the unequal treatment. They had a better argument with that.