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Drilling down on affordable housing stats under Bloomberg: 11,384 new units in Brooklyn over 10+ years


I recently noted that Mayor Mike Bloomberg's office reported 50,111 affordable housing units constructed, with 107,119 units preserved. That ratio suggested that his ambitious plan to finance 160,000 units of affordable housing skewed toward less expensive preservation.

The office did not initially provide borough statistics, such as-the breakdown between preservation and new construction among the 37,643 affordable units in Brooklyn. Thanks to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the statistics were 11,384 new units and 26,048 total preserved.

HPD also provided statistics by Community District, which shows that Brooklyn CD 3 (Bed-Stuy), 5 (East New York, and 16 (Brownsville) got the most new units.

Graphic from City Limits
That suggests that the Atlantic Yards subsidized housing--2250 units in CDs 2, 6, and 8--could make significant statistical dent, especially if built over ten years rather than the allowable 25 years.

Then again, the numbers would have to be contextualized, given that many of the units would be unaffordable to residents currently being priced out and the number of new residents far outpaces the amount of housing produced.

As noted in City Limits, Where the Bloomberg Affordable Housing Went, "Manhattan and the Bronx received greater shares of affordable housing than their share of the city's population, and the other boroughs received less."

Note that CD 2 had 946 new units, CD 6 had 521 new units, and CD 8 had 715 new units started between 7/1/03 and 11/30/13.



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  1. Anonymous7:49 AM

    I don't have the numbers in front of me, but take a look at the amount of housing lost in Brooklyn during the same period (due to fire, demolition, and combining units), or take a look at the population rise during the same period, and you are likely to see a net decrease in available housing (all housing - not just affordable)

    Housing loss, population growth, people living in illegal units such as garages and cellars, people illegally doubled-up in public housing, and people living in dilapadated housing - all of these categories dwarf Bloomberg's paltry efforts

    In the mid-60's, over 50,000 units of housing a year were being built in NYC, which is the rate we need to achieve today to address the housing crisis

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    Replies
    1. Norman Oder7:52 AM

      So, do you agree w/the solutions in NY Mag. Or 21st Century for All? Or?

      http://nymag.com/news/features/affordable-housing-2014-1/

      http://www.21cforall.org/content/housing-policy-strong-and-equitable-city

      Delete
  2. Anonymous8:03 AM

    Housing is the only commodity that goes up in price, as its social usefulness goes down. Used cars cost less than new cars, and stale bread is hard to sell. But ancient, decrepit housing? In its final state, it becomes a pricey condo! The only solution to the housing crisis is public or what Michael Stone calls social housing (see his book: "Shelter Poverty"). That is, housing constructed on public land from tax revenue, and kept out of the free market, so its cost does not rise. You need to remove the high cost of land, the high cost of finance, and the immediate impact of market demand/capital appreciation. This is the only way to build and maintain affordable housing. P. S. We knew this in 1933!

    That said, I will read your references.

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