They are all going to have to live somewhere. The City population grew by more than 161,000 since 2010, according to the latest Census estimates. There hasn’t been population growth like that since 1950.
Brooklyn alone added 60,000 people. Coincidentally, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership just told Crains that since rezoning in 2004 the area had added 5300 apartments in 29 buildings and that another 4746 units are scheduled to come on line in the next two or three years. By our rough calculations, that means we only need about 50,000 more units in that borough.
If you are looking for financing to build, the Community Preservation Corporation is back with $250,000,000 to lend. CPC was pretty much in survival mode the past couple of years after overextending itself as a development partner in time for the crash, but now has money from Citigroup for its traditional low-income housing finance.
Meanwhile, 130,000 of those who (probably) already live here, in co-ops and condos, got notices in the mail this week that they would lose their tax abatements because they are not primary residents. At least that is what the Department of Finance thinks. The number represents more than a third of all co-op and condo owners and will have a dramatic effect on maintenance fees for taxes in many buildings if Finance is even half right.
Enough to make you want to leave town? The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Professional Testing, Inc. are seeking participants for a three-day workshop in Denver, Colorado, to inventory the tasks and skills required for workers in the multifamily housing sector. Some travel expenses provided. The idea is to develop a list of skills in these four job categories:
Building Energy Auditor
Building Operator
Project/Program Manager
Quality Control Inspector
Denver is nice.