Gotham Gazette

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Opinion

Tackling New York’s Housing Affordability Crisis


pacific park bk

Pacific Park Brooklyn (photo: Max Touhey)


Crystal Patterson is a fourth-generation New Yorker whose city roots run deep: she was raised in East Flatbush, has family in Bedford-Stuyvesant and works in Midtown. Yet, even though Crystal calls New York home, for years she had no home to go to; she was one of the hundreds of thousands of city residents who struggled to find safe, affordable housing.

Today, New York is experiencing an unprecedented affordability crisis. In all five boroughs, from Williamsbridge in the Bronx to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, the cost of housing has become increasingly out of reach for low, moderate, and middle income New Yorkers. In many ways, we have become victims of our own success: while the city has become safer, more vibrant, and more welcoming than ever before, it has also become more expensive to live here. The simple economic principle of supply and demand has caused this emergency, but it will take an innovative, multifaceted solution to get us out of it.

One creative solution has already proven to be successful in Brooklyn: public-private partnerships. Last week, Greenland Forest City Partners was proud to open 535 Carlton, our COOKFOX-designed, 298-unit building in one of the most desirable parts of the city. The best part? It’s 100 percent affordable, and proof positive that our public-private affordable housing model delivers great results. This pioneering partnership ensures that Pacific Park Brooklyn, our 22-acre project in downtown Brooklyn, enhances the area’s diversity, vibrancy, and accessibility.

Working in conjunction with the city and the state, we at Greenland Forest City developed a plan to accelerate the timetable for affordable housing coming online. We committed to delivering 2,250 units of below market-rate housing by 2025. In exchange, the city’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC) provided financial resources to guarantee two 100 percent affordable buildings, 535 Carlton and 38 Sixth Avenue, would start construction earlier than planned. These buildings wouldn’t just be for low-income New Yorkers; they would also include housing for moderate and middle income New Yorkers who have been increasingly priced out of their neighborhoods.

Moreover, Greenland Forest City committed to building affordable housing designed by the city’s top architects. COOKFOX, the architect behind 535 Carlton, is a pioneer of sustainable, environmentally-responsible design, which permeates throughout the property. The building sits adjacent to what will become the eight-acre, publicly accessible Pacific Park. It includes resident gardens on the rooftop and a green wall in the lobby. Many of the sundrenched apartments have views of the neighborhood, nearby Prospect Park, and New York Harbor.

For lottery winners, these units are life-changing. For years, Crystal lived in AirBnB rentals, spending a few short months in different neighborhoods throughout New York and beyond. She applied to 60 affordable housing lotteries throughout the five boroughs, each time praying that she would finally get a lucky break and a place to call home.

Late last year, that break came: Crystal opened her email to find out she had won the affordable housing lottery for 535 Carlton. She now lives in a two-bedroom apartment with her 15-year-old son, Trey. The building has a fitness center, children’s play area and resident lounge, amenities more likely to be found in a luxury building than a 100 percent affordable one. But for Crystal, the best part is building a new, stable life in the city she loves.

“The joy we felt was indescribable,” said Crystal on securing her apartment in 535 Carlton. “Today, I feel like my son and I are part of the growing community in both the building and the neighborhood.”

Ultimately, we want more New Yorkers like Crystal to feel that they are part of our shared future, and that there will be enough affordable housing supply for generations to come. Pacific Park Brooklyn aims to meet this vision, and is already proof that putting affordability first can reap great rewards for the citizens of New York.

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Ashley Cotton is Executive Vice President, External Affairs at Forest City New York.

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Anti-Worker Arguments Need Transparency


asbestos 2

(photo: secondskinuk)


We write in response to the pro-big business, anti-worker, politically-motivated opinion piece written by Peggy Ableman entitled, “New York’s Asbestos Courts Need Transparency.”

We have been representing the working men and women of New York for over 30 years in the “New York asbestos courts” which are the subject of Ms. Ableman’s piece. The lives of these men and women, people responsible for building this great city, have been devastated by asbestos diseases caused by corporate recklessness and greed. Ms. Ableman attacks the honesty and integrity of these true heroes, as well as the honesty and integrity of their lawyers.

Her attack is nothing more than a politically-motivated, scurrilous work of fiction, promoting the agenda of such groups as the American Tort Reform Association. This group’s main goal, supported by Ms. Ableman, is to deny and/or significantly limit access to the courts by those whose lives have been destroyed by an industrial poison. Interestingly and tellingly, Ms. Ableman’s piece is completely devoid of any facts in support of her made-up claims of fraud. This is not surprising given the fact that Ms. Ableman is not a member of the New York bar and, to the best of our knowledge, has never set foot in a New York courtroom.

Perhaps most importantly, in a piece calling for “truth” and “transparency,” Ms. Ableman failed to disclose her current employer. After leaving the bench to seek more lucrative work, Ms. Ableman was hired by the powerhouse asbestos defense law firm, McCarter & English. She is currently “special counsel” to this law firm which has been representing defendants in asbestos litigation for decades.

The firm’s website touts as one of Ms. Ableman’s “accomplishments” the fact that she was quoted in the American Tort Reform Association’s rag, “Judicial Hellholes.” This “publication” denigrates and belittles the incredible work of New York judges who labor every day, all day, seeking to provide justice to all litigants that appear before them. To call the New York State’s judicial system administered by these conscientious jurists a “judicial hellhole” is an outrage and a direct affront to the integrity of these judges.

If Ms. Ableman is interested in ferreting out fraud, she should start with a good long look in the mirror. Her failure to disclose the fact that she works for a firm that represents big corporations that are sued in asbestos cases in a column about “truth” and “transparency” says all you need to know about her credibility.

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Perry Weitz, Arthur Luxenberg, Robert Gordon, Charles Ferguson, Alani Golanski and Jerry Kristal, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.

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Establishing a Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Program in New York


baby box

a "baby box"


As sponsors of legislation to establish a Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Pilot Program, we call on the Legislature to combat infant mortality in New York and pass the bill.

This measure is an important step forward in our state’s ongoing efforts to support new parents and provide all children with the best possible start to life.

According to the Department of Health, over 90 infants in New York die every year as a result of unsafe sleep practices and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). While there are many factors involved in improving infant health, research clearly demonstrates that promoting safe sleep is a key component in reducing preventable injury and death.

The Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Pilot Program would distribute “baby boxes” or other approved products, like play-yards or bassinets, to provide parents in the areas of greatest need or regions with high rates of infant mortality with a safe sleep option. In addition to providing a safe sleeping environment for newborns, the “baby box” or similar product distributed through the program would also include essential baby care items, educational materials, and provide an opportunity for new families and health care providers to discuss safe and healthy practices aimed at reducing SIDS.

“Baby boxes,” a concept originated in Finland, have been used across the world with proven success. In the United States, several states and a number of cities and health care systems have already implemented “baby box” programs as a persuasive way to reach new families. The statewide program would offer critical resources, educate new families and enable them to engage in safe practices.    

While distribution of “baby boxes” alone will not completely solve the problem of infant mortality, this program would be just one piece of a much larger puzzle in New York. Our state has already made great strides to improve health outcomes. In 2015, we worked together to pass legislation which made New York the first state in the nation to designate pregnancy as a qualifying life event for health insurance enrollment, guaranteeing all families the opportunity to access vital prenatal care to prevent pre-term births and pregnancy complications. New York has worked to establish paid family leave benefits for working parents and provide maternal, infant, and early childhood home-visiting services in our most vulnerable communities. The Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Program would further our efforts to reduce health disparities and ensure all parents receive the support they need to raise healthy children.

In an ideal world, every family would be aware of and adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep Recommendations and have a crib or bassinet meeting their guidelines. In reality, new families are often sleep deprived, exhausted, and struggling to adjust, or simply can’t afford a crib. The Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Program will help new parents avoid unsafe behavior and will encourage and increase healthy sleep practices.  

New York has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to enacting comprehensive policies to support healthy parenting, these measures will allow New York to continue to serve as a national leader in protecting the health and wellbeing of babies, children and families.

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Aravella Simotas is a Democratic Assembly member representing AD 36, Astoria, Queens, and Kemp Hannon is a Republican representing SD6, in Nassau County. They sponsor bills S3867 and A/A6044-A.

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