New York approves new apartment with separate entrance for poor people

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."

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