null

Anything is better than rental housing projects, so I guess I should be thankful that that isn’t what’s going in at 99-105 Central Avenue — across the street from my house. According to online info, the buildings are owned by Ridgewood Bushwick Homesteading Assistance Housing and a developer that used HUD’s 203K program, of which I am only vaguely familiar (I have heard of it). I think they’re likely to be low-income coops…something I’m not thrilled about but like I said, it could be worse.

I much prefer the Habitat for Humanity model: the homeowners get a loan for a cheap house, and then they have to help build that house and promise to help build a house for others in the future. If they sell their house at a profit, they have to share the profits with Habitat. It’s a win-win-win for the homeowner, the organization, and the taxpayers/neighbors, who aren’t forced to pay for neighbors who attack them and ruin their property. In fact, people who live in Habitat homes are more likely to be the most self-driven and hard-working among the poor.

Let’s end public housing, once and for all. We have seen the ills it causes and harbors. It’s a poor alternative to private efforts. Besides, the City bulldozed tens of thousands of housing units to build…tens of thousands of housing units. It’s a bit ironic, though not unexpected, that in an effort to clear slums they have created pretty much the only slums left in New York.

Anyway, anybody know what the deal is here? And what’s going in the commercial spaces on the corner? Please be a good restaurant or coffee shop!

Related Posts