Barnwell bill would lead to more affordable housing
BY MARK HALLUM
A new bill being introduced
by Maspeth-based state
Assemblyman Brian Barnwell
will address concerns of
housing developments that
label units as “affordable”
when the surrounding
community disagrees — a
trend which has made itself
apparent across the city.
Barnwell’s bill, if enacted,
would give community boards
the power to stop developers
seeking Uniform Land Use
Review Procedure (ULURP)
applications to build above
current zoning laws if the
affordability of the units do not
meet at least 60 percent of the
area median income (AMI).
“We have a situation
throughout the city, not just in
our district, where you have
developers who want to up-zone
to build high-rise luxury condos.
They say they’re going to provide
affordable housing, but they
don’t, so they community boards
vote them down,” Barnwell said.
“Every single time community
boards vote them down, through
the ULURP process that we have
now, it gets approved... The bill
that we put in place, anytime
a developer wants to rezone
property that will offer units that
are 60 percent of AMI or higher,
if the community board votes
A new bill introduced by state Assemblyman Brian Barnwell will
address concerns of housing developments that label units as
“affordable” when when the surrounding community disagrees.
that down, the project is done.”
Barnwell admits that 60
percent of AMI is still well
above what the average
resident in many communities
can afford, but its a start.
Widely discussed by
candidates for state office in
the 2018 election cycle, one
problem with affordability
was identified in how AMI is
generally calculated to take
into account the cashflow of
residents across the region
instead of by zip code.
“If the community board
votes it down, they should not
be able to build,” Barnwell
added. “If developers want to
build 40 percent of AMI and
actually provide affordable
housing, then the normal
ULURP process applies.”
Currently, if a builder
submits a ULURP application,
it generally goes to a land
use committee vote before
a full board meeting. This
only counts as an advisory
vote, however, and may not
have influence over the
final decision with the City
Planning Commission.
In September, a development
under construction at the time
was listed on NYC Housing
Connect, a portal for low income
New Yorkers to find apartments
that meet affordability
standards, that require potential
renters to meet an income of
$77,178 to $122,070.
A one-bedroom apartment
could cost a tenant up to $2,251
per month.
The bill is keeping with
Barnwell’s re-election
campaign platform, in which
he said he would work to
address the AMI issue at the
state level and keep his district,
which covers Woodside,
Maspeth as well as parts of
Astoria, more affordable in
the face of gentrification.
The Elmhurst community
faced off with developers Sun
Equity and Heskel Group who
had filed a ULURP application
with the city in March 2018 to
build 13 stories of affordable
units at an 82nd Street lot,
above the ten stories allowed
as of right under the zoning.
About 40 percent of the units
in the Elmhurst proposal were
projected to meet an annual
median income of $61,000
which was later lowered to
$41,000 by the developer after
the application was struck
down by Community Board 4’s
advisory vote.
Queens Neighborhoods
United opposed not only the
housing which they claimed
would displace many people in
the surrounding communities,
but they are still fighting
against the Target slated
for the retail section of the
development, even after the
builders abandoned the effort
to construct any housing.
The organized opposition
to the Target was continued by
state Sen. Jessica Ramos who
took the developer to the New
York Supreme Court on Jan.
10 on grounds that the zoning
laws prohibit big box stores,
saving space for only small,
local owned businesses.
Currently in the drafting
phase, Barnwell hopes to
introduce the bill in the
coming months.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4564.
Queens College among schools with best value: Report
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
For the second consecutive
year and fourth time in six
years, Queens College has
been selected as a “Best Value
College” by The Princeton
Review.
Queens College — located
on an 80-acre campus at 65-30
Kissena Blvd. — was featured
among 200 schools in The
Prince Review 2019 rankings;
there was no hierarchical
ranking among the 200
schools featured.
The college has been
previously named a Best Value
College in 2014, 2015, and 2018.
“We are not surprised
that the Princeton Review
has named Queens College
to its 2019 edition of “The
Best Value Colleges” and
is recognized once again
for its academic excellence,
affordability, and accessibility
to a diverse background of
students. Queens College has
consistently provided equal
opportunity for our students to
achieve their dreams,” Queens
College President Félix Matos
Rodríguez said.
In “The Best Value Colleges”
(which was titled “Colleges
That Pay You Back” from 2015
to 2018), Princeton Review
recommends the colleges they
consider the nation’s best for
academics, affordability, and
career prospects.
Selections are based on a
ROI (Return on Investment)
rating score that was developed
for the project. The rating
consists of more than 40 data
points, including institutional
data from 658 institutions,
surveys of students at those
colleges, and PayScale.com data
– collected through April 2018 –
from alumni surveys covering
starting and mid-career salaries
as well as career social impact.
In the book’s profile of
Located on an 80-acre campus in Flushing, Queens College was
voted Best Value College by The Princeton Review.
Queens College, The Princeton
Review editors praise the
school for “its first-rate
education to generations of
students from all different
backgrounds, maintaining an
incredibly affordable price tag
Courtesy of Queens College
while constantly expanding its
offerings, programs, centers
and institutes, and even its
physical campus.”
The “Career Information”
section in the profile lists an
exceptional ROI rating score of
88 for Queens College. It also cites
PayScale.com figures reporting
Queens College graduates with
at least a bachelor’s degree have
a median starting salary of
$50,900 and median mid-career
salary of $96,600.
“We salute Queens College
and all of our The Best Value
Colleges. They stand out for their
outstanding academics and
their affordability via generous
financial aid to students with
need and/or comparatively
low sticker prices,” said Robert
Franek, editor-in-chief of The
Princeton Review and lead
author of the book. “Students
at these colleges also have
access to extraordinary career
services from their freshman
year on, plus a lifetime of
valuable alumni support.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
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/PayScale.com
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