A luxury high-rise apartment building in New York City is causing an uproar following reports that it would have a separate “poor door” for its low income tenants, reports the New York Post.
The 33-story building, located in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, will have 219 condos with starting prices of $1 million, and 55 subsidized rental units, on lower floors, beginning at $845 a month. To separate the haves and the have nots, the building’s developer has designed two entrances and elevators, one for renters and the other for owners. Offering low-income housing in the luxury building earns the developer several tax breaks from the city. Applicants for the low-income housing in the building need to make less than 60 percent of the median income of $51,450.
According to the Post, two other Brooklyn apartment buildings already implement the “rich door, poor door” policy. Lower income tenants at Toll Brothers’ Northside Piers and Douglaston’s the Edge have a simple entrance while their richer counteparts have doormen, gyms and other posh amenities.
In your opinion, is it fair to separate lower-income tenants from those who are well-off? Sound off in the comments below. [poll id=360546]