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News Flash: Greenpoint/Williamsburg Desperately Need Affordable Housing
By
Lauren Evans
Published May 23, 2013
Modified May 23, 2013
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By
Lauren Evans
Published May 23, 2013
Modified May 23, 2013
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Dozens of longtime residents gathered along Kent Avenue in Williamsburg on Wednesday to protest the Bloomberg administration's seemingly empty promises regarding affordable housing in Brooklyn's increasingly hip—and therefore, costly—neighborhoods.
According to a 2005 zoning agreement [PDF], the city promised 3,548 units of affordable housing in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, with 1,563 on the waterfront. But protesters said the Bloomberg administration has failed to make good on its plans—in fact, statistics from the city indicate that fewer than a quarter of the promised units have been built.
Eric Bederman, a spokesman for NYC Housing Preservation and Development, told NY1 that 922 of the affordable apartments are complete or under construction, and more than 760 units in are in pre-development.
That's not good enough for residents being forced from their homes.
"Me and my husband had to move to Bushwick six years ago because we could not afford to own in Williamsburg," Deneise Jennings-Houston told the station.
Advocates are still working to convince the administration to convert Greenpoint Hospital into affordable housing, though so far, the development remains at a standstill, DNAinfo reported.
But it's not all doom and gloom; at least the Domino Sugar Factory makes an excellent fancy party space?
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affordable housing
greenpoint
williamsburg
Lauren Evans
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