The city is one step closer to creating affordable condos in Brooklyn.
Community Board 13 voted to support the Department of City Planning’s change to its inclusionary housing program, which would grant developers a higher floor area ratio (FAR) in exchange for affordable housing. For the first time, these residential units would be available for purchase.
“It would allow more people to go from basic renting to ownership and I think that’s a good thing. People who own take more pride in their community. It’s a natural progression in terms of the ‘American Dream,’” said Community Board 13 member Brian Gotlieb.
The units would be available for purchase to those making less than 80 percent of the citywide Annual Median Income (AMI). That’s $61,000 for a family of four, $55,000 for a family of three, $53,000 for a family of two, or $43,000 for a single person.
As part of City Planning’s proposal, the units need not be in the new building a developer is constructing. They could be in another building up to half a mile away.
In voting to support the inclusionary housing program, Gotlieb suggested that the housing units be constructed “on−site rather than off−site.”
“Everything should be on−site because the idea of separate but equal thankfully was put to bed many years ago,” Gotlieb said. “It’s not fair to say we’re going to build one development here, but the people who cannot afford it will go somewhere else.”
This inclusionary housing program has created more than 1,800 affordable housing units since 2005.
