In what detractors are summarizing as "rich door, poor door" plans for a New York City high rise, the building would include separate doors for the building’s affordable-housing renters and the more expensive market-rate condo owners.
The building, already under construction on the Upper West Side, includes both types of housing, and some are
questioning if the city should give developers tax breaks, My Fox New York said. The tower will include 55 affordable housing apartments that will rent for around $900, while it also has 219 condos that start at $1 million.
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The idea of separating the rich from the poor harkens back to olden times, and it’s offending some in New York.
The West Side Rag blog talked to Assembly member Linda Rosenthal and she told them, “This ‘separate but equal’ arrangement is abominable and has no place in the 21st century, let alone on the Upper West Side. A mandatory affordable housing plan is not license to segregate lower-income tenants from those who are well-off.”
Under a touched-up photo showing an alleyway door with “Poor Door” written on it in red, the West Side Rag wrote, “You know that show Downton Abbey? Where the servants have to come and go through separate entrances and bow their heads when they see a noble? Well, there could soon be a version of Downton Abbey right here, on the Upper West Side!”
The Building at 40 Riverside Blvd. is owned by Extell Corp., West Side Rag reported. The publication said developers offer an explanation for the separate doors, saying the affordable housing section "is not directly related to the building it is attached to from a legal standpoint," which requires that a separate entrance be created.
The West Side Rag said the developers did not answer questions about the project.
A few on Twitter reported their displeasure with the separation:
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