Starrett City Measure Wending Through Congress
A bill that would preserve affordability at Starrett City, the largest federally subsidized rental complex in the United States, was overwhelmingly approved in the House last week. The bill was introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns and co-sponsored by Rep. Nydia Velázquez. East New York’s Starrett City has 5,800 units and 14,000 residents, and the government…
A bill that would preserve affordability at Starrett City, the largest federally subsidized rental complex in the United States, was overwhelmingly approved in the House last week. The bill was introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns and co-sponsored by Rep. Nydia Velázquez. East New York’s Starrett City has 5,800 units and 14,000 residents, and the government wouldn’t allow its current owners to sell the property to a group of investors who bid $1.3 billion for it last year because it was believed that the high sales price meant the housing stock wouldn’t be kept affordable. The bill converts Section 8 and Rental Assistance Program (RAP) contracts at Starrett to a project-based Section 8 contract, which ensures longer-term affordability for those particular units. (We’re not clear on whether this applies to all the massive complex’s units or just some of them.) According to an article in the Eagle, the measure “creates the conditions necessary for purchasers of Starrett City to secure the long-term financing necessary to purchase the property, therefore allowing them to keep the units affordable.” As of late last week, the bill was set to become an amendment in one of the foreclosure-relief bills currently being considered by the House. It wasn’t, however, amended to the controversial anti-foreclosure bill that passed last week and that President Bush has vowed to veto.
Rep. Towns’ Press Release on Starrett Bill [house.gov]
Starrett Bill [govtrack.us]
Reps. Towns, Velázquez Report Success for Starrett City [Brooklyn Eagle]
Photo by ntang.
I think that the concerns about the interest of Reverend Bernard and his cohorts are legitimate. However, the tenants of Starrett worked tirelessly to make sure that they were not kicked out on the street, and that there was legislation for long term affordability, not some skeezy developers promise. If more tenants in the city stood up and fought together as one voice, New Yorkers wouldn’t have to be struggling to stay in the grave.
3:15, I thinks it’s Carbon Monoxcide. But I get your point. Funny as hell. 3:03..you just got your racist ass bitched slapped.
D-O-N-E-D-E-A-L!!
My names is Charlez Baron and I support this message.
Yeah, and the Audi is in front of a late model gas guzzler. You could just as easily picked the other car as an example of the income levels of some of the residents. These are not projects, by the way, but then, what do facts matter?
Your own agenda certainly colors any remark, doesn’t it?
typical suburban mentality…
Live in a big house you can’t afford
Drive a big SUV that cost too much to gas up
Have 2 kids that hate you and are addicted to meth.
Have a beautiful wife that fucks the mailman because you are 4 hrs. away working on wall street.
And finally, your family finds you in the garage dead from inhaling carbon dioxide because you just couldn’t take the thought of having to one day live in Starrett City.
You are right 3:03,
Some things never change.
nice audi in the picture
typical ghetto mentality
live in a project and drive a nice car
you should see the rides in queensbridge projects
some things never change
I live in Starrett city and this scares me a little. There are people here who would settle for less because they have no more to give. That is an understandable reaction to the changing times. But, what bothers me is the quality of life issues that will surely arise if there is any shred of truth in 12:05’s statement. There have been a few meetings where the dominant issue was “The whiteman is coming” followed by a few prayer services that was led by the church that is interested in being a partner in it’s purchase. I am not sugessting that community groups don’t have a success rate for managing housing, but their experience seem to be rooted in low-income specialty housing. Starrett City over the years have attracted a more higher-income population with a need for adequate services. I am afraid that if Starrett City plunges into a government financed model project for politicians to hail, it will lead to an exodus of stable tenants.
I’m with 12:12.
Does not matter how affordable they make housing. The cost of living in NY will make most people head south. Securing a place for you now, does not mean a secure place for your children and grandchildren. Let’s get out of this project mentality and move-on. Wasn’t it Marcus Garvey that said, “up you mighty people”. Why do we fight to stay in the grave?