In 2004, Forest City said an $80,000 income was too much for an affordable studio/1BR. Now that's in the works.
The demand for affordable housing in today's market is unending. Bisnow reported that Broadway Housing Communities' 124-unit development in Harlem's Sugar Hill drew 48,000 applications for the 98 affordable units. That's a .2% chance. So the Atlantic Yards affordable housing--when it arrives, December 2015 at the earliest--will surely be in demand. So, yes, the 73 low-income units and the 36 moderate-income units in the first tower will help the most desperate. The moderate- and middle-income units surely will be subscribed too. But it's crucial to remember that the latter units-- 2012 estimated rents at right--would be way too expensive for most who rallied for the project. (ACORN members were polled about support for affordable housing, but were not asked about affordable housing accessible to those in their income bracket.) There's a huge mismatch at work between affordability by Brooklyn standards and affordability as calculated regional...