Comments on: Bills in Support of Tenants and Affordable Housing http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/2009/05/bills-in-support-of-tenants-and-affordable-housing/ Vote your Values: New York’s liveliest and most progressive political party. Formed by a grassroots coalition of community organizations, neighborhood activists, and labor unions, we came together build a society that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and well-connected. Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:13:25 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Brynn http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/2009/05/bills-in-support-of-tenants-and-affordable-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-54 Brynn Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:16:36 +0000 http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/?p=2413#comment-54 Your blog is so informative, I told my husband this is a must read. Keep up the good work<a href="//www.making-homes-affordable.com Your blog is so informative, I told my husband this is a must read. Keep up the good work ]]> By: GarykPatton http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/2009/05/bills-in-support-of-tenants-and-affordable-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-52 GarykPatton Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:49:05 +0000 http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/?p=2413#comment-52 How soon will you update your blog? I'm interested in reading some more information on this issue. How soon will you update your blog? I’m interested in reading some more information on this issue.

]]> By: KattyBlackyard http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/2009/05/bills-in-support-of-tenants-and-affordable-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-51 KattyBlackyard Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:11:08 +0000 http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/?p=2413#comment-51 I really like your post. Does it copyright protected? I really like your post. Does it copyright protected?

]]> By: Steve Peluso http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/2009/05/bills-in-support-of-tenants-and-affordable-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-32 Steve Peluso Thu, 21 May 2009 19:22:17 +0000 http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/?p=2413#comment-32 "There are no longer opportunities in the suburbs for working/middle class people to have an affordable home large enough to support a family within even a 2 hour commute of the city. There are few apartments developments there and fewer people willing to rent out portions of their homes. In the city itself the situation is the worst. The traditional working class, diverse, and artistic culture of New York City is being erased. There is no standard of living except for those who make hundreds of thousands a year. Only large corporate businesses can afford the rent increases and only the wealthiest corporate people can afford to live somewhere that is not a roach infested closet. This is a deplorable situation that has been deliberately engineered by the state and city government to benefit the wealthiest class of political lobbyers. How did this happen? The state undid all of the rent protections on existing housing and Bloomberg manipulated the zoning laws to ensure that all new construction would be built for the upper class only. Bloomberg has prevented the construction of almost any new housing in areas where wealthy people have traditionally wanted to live (Upper East Side, Upper West Side, some of East Village, Brooklyn Heights, Midtown etc.) yet he permitted and aggressively encouraged only high scale luxury development in areas on the periphery of those wealthy areas (Lower East Side, Hell's Kitchen, Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn, Harlem, South Bronx, Bushwick etc.). Those areas rapidly gentrify, displacing market rate tenants, barring all non-wealthy newcomers and giving landlords further incentive to manipulate the loopholes created in the rent protection laws to remove stabilized tenants. This of course puts the squeeze on all areas in between and nearby, and leaves the already wealthy areas that have been downzoned with even higher real estate values. The end result- a city that has more construction of housing yet rapidly increasing prices-something that is not supposed to happen in a true free market economy. If developers built freely, to meet demand then eventually with or without rent protections we'd all have a nicer more affordable place to live, but Bloomberg and his cronies in the state legislature make sure things don't work out that way. Repealing vacancy de-control is a major step in making New York affordable and encouraging development that meets the demand for cheaper better housing for everyone. In just 8-10 years New York has lost half it's history, it's culture, and it's people, to be replaced by cookie cutter big box stores, and hideous overpriced construction. Understand that this is not a "product of the market" This situation is a product of government. Why do 25 year tax abatements go to luxury developers and not to those who create decent affordable housing. I am not an advocate for the maintenance of deteriorating slums, or for measures that support those who are able to work but seek to milk a welfare state. However, the measures taken by Bloomberg and the State have not been designed to improve areas with economic investment or gradually increase their value in a way that creates opportunity for long term residents. Nor have they been designed to eliminate the parasites of social welfare programs. Rather the intent was to transform entire neighborhoods, eventually in a short span into a protected enclaves for the rich and fabulous. Everywhere else prices go up, standards of living deteriorate, hard working people move out and mom and pop businesses shut their doors forever. This is what happens when people keep voting for billionaires. Defeat Bloomberg!!! Save the city!!! Don't let NYC became America's Country Club!!!!! NYC is for everyone!!! Affordable housing for people and businesses is essential for a robust and growing economy that serves all classes!!" Please end vacancy decontrol, and use the zoning laws to create affordable housing not eliminate it!!! - Steve Peluso, life-long NY'er and current resident of Astoria Queens. Remember when New Yorkers spoke out against the MTA doomsday plan- their government listened!! It's time we make them hear that rents and home prices are too high!!!!!!! “There are no longer opportunities in the suburbs for working/middle class people to have an affordable home large enough to support a family within even a 2 hour commute of the city. There are few apartments developments there and fewer people willing to rent out portions of their homes. In the city itself the situation is the worst. The traditional working class, diverse, and artistic culture of New York City is being erased. There is no standard of living except for those who make hundreds of thousands a year. Only large corporate businesses can afford the rent increases and only the wealthiest corporate people can afford to live somewhere that is not a roach infested closet. This is a deplorable situation that has been deliberately engineered by the state and city government to benefit the wealthiest class of political lobbyers.

How did this happen? The state undid all of the rent protections on existing housing and Bloomberg manipulated the zoning laws to ensure that all new construction would be built for the upper class only. Bloomberg has prevented the construction of almost any new housing in areas where wealthy people have traditionally wanted to live (Upper East Side, Upper West Side, some of East Village, Brooklyn Heights, Midtown etc.) yet he permitted and aggressively encouraged only high scale luxury development in areas on the periphery of those wealthy areas (Lower East Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn, Harlem, South Bronx, Bushwick etc.). Those areas rapidly gentrify, displacing market rate tenants, barring all non-wealthy newcomers and giving landlords further incentive to manipulate the loopholes created in the rent protection laws to remove stabilized tenants. This of course puts the squeeze on all areas in between and nearby, and leaves the already wealthy areas that have been downzoned with even higher real estate values. The end result- a city that has more construction of housing yet rapidly increasing prices-something that is not supposed to happen in a true free market economy. If developers built freely, to meet demand then eventually with or without rent protections we’d all have a nicer more affordable place to live, but Bloomberg and his cronies in the state legislature make sure things don’t work out that way. Repealing vacancy de-control is a major step in making New York affordable and encouraging development that meets the demand for cheaper better housing for everyone.

In just 8-10 years New York has lost half it’s history, it’s culture, and it’s people, to be replaced by cookie cutter big box stores, and hideous overpriced construction. Understand that this is not a “product of the market” This situation is a product of government. Why do 25 year tax abatements go to luxury developers and not to those who create decent affordable housing. I am not an advocate for the maintenance of deteriorating slums, or for measures that support those who are able to work but seek to milk a welfare state. However, the measures taken by Bloomberg and the State have not been designed to improve areas with economic investment or gradually increase their value in a way that creates opportunity for long term residents. Nor have they been designed to eliminate the parasites of social welfare programs. Rather the intent was to transform entire neighborhoods, eventually in a short span into a protected enclaves for the rich and fabulous. Everywhere else prices go up, standards of living deteriorate, hard working people move out and mom and pop businesses shut their doors forever.

This is what happens when people keep voting for billionaires. Defeat Bloomberg!!! Save the city!!! Don’t let NYC became America’s Country Club!!!!! NYC is for everyone!!! Affordable housing for people and businesses is essential for a robust and growing economy that serves all classes!!” Please end vacancy decontrol, and use the zoning laws to create affordable housing not eliminate it!!!

- Steve Peluso, life-long NY’er and current resident of Astoria Queens.

Remember when New Yorkers spoke out against the MTA doomsday plan- their government listened!! It’s time we make them hear that rents and home prices are too high!!!!!!!

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