INWOOD — An affordable housing workshop held by the city's Economic Development Corp. in Inwood's P.S. 314 Muscota New School Tuesday night drew so many people that some had to be turned away, officials said.
More than 200 attendees turned up for the NYC Housing Workshop that was meant to allow neighbors to discuss the city's new Inwood Planning Initiative.
The crowd almost exceeded the school's capacity, and some attendees had to be turned away at the door, according to officials overseeing the event.
"We had planned for lots of people," said Christopher Carroll, a spokesman for the EDC. "But the fact that even more people than we had planned for showed up, is great."
The city said the workshops were designed to engage residents and allow them to ask important questions about the planning process.
Residents were divided into groups of 10 to 15 and asked to share their concerns with the community. While many items related to commonly voiced complaints about noise, bars and garbage, some participants spoke of senior housing and accessibility to housing.
The groups were then encouraged to build their own mixed, affordable-housing building — including units for all income brackets — using the total Inwood household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Preservation.
"It's hard to do," said Mary Anderson, one of the workshop attendees. "You don't know how many [units] to include."
Another housing workshop is in the works this fall, with more open houses and meetings taking place throughout 2016, according to the NYCEDC.
"We are thrilled that the community has been so interested and engaged thus far," NYCEDC officials said, "and look forward to future workshops and events with equally strong participation from the community."
Details will be available on the Inwood Planning Initiative website as they become available.
