It looks like the "poor door" will really be coming to New York City after the Department of Housing Preservation and Development approved plans for a new luxury apartment building with separate entrances for rich and less-rich folks. The proposal had been pending since last year, but the board finally gave it the green light this month, according to the New York Post.
Real estate developer Extell unveiled last August a plan to build a fancy 33-story Upper West Side building with 55 units of affordable housing. The catch: The cheap digs would have separate elevators and a proprietary entrance. Hence, the term "poor door." And as if that setup wasn't controversial enough already, Extell was able to seek millions of dollars in tax breaks in exchange for setting aside some units for people making significantly less the the area's median income.
Predictably, the proposal drew vocal condemnation, with New York State Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, who represents the neighborhood, saying the arrangement was "abominable and has no place in the 21st century."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
