HARLEM — Applications are now open for nine units of affordable housing in Central Harlem in a building that has been at the center of a local affordable housing fight for years.
Even before the West Harlem Group Association bought the building at 2049 Fifth Ave. from the city in 2013, longtime tenants said they feared that they would be priced out of their homes under the new owner.
The new apartments, slated as affordable, are far more expensive than the $357 that one former tenant was paying before the purchase.
The cheapest option is a 1-bedroom apartment that rents for $700 per month. There are also four studios and four 2-bedroom apartments available, which range in price depending on the unit, the number of inhabitants and income of the tenants.
Only those with qualifying incomes may apply to live in 2049 Fifth Ave. The minimum income to apply is $28,869 for one person in a studio, $25,406 for one-two people in a 1-bedroom and $76,012 for three-four people in a 2-bedroom.
New Yorkers have decried Mayor Bill de Blasio's affordable housing plan as being unaffordable for the poorest New Yorkers.
The battle over WHGA's purchase of this building came down to one tenant, Audrey Quantano, who resisted plans to temporarily move to allow renovations. She alone in the building over a year until she was evicted on Sept. 5, 2014, according to the New York Daily News.
Quantano demanded that WGHA find her temporary housing comparable to her 3-bedroom she rented for $357 a month.
DNAinfo New York made efforts to reach out to Quantano to find out her current housing status but was able to reach her.
Applications for units in 2049 Fifth Ave. are open until Feb. 16, 2016. Half of the units will be reserved for residents of Manhattan Community Board 11.
To see all available affordable housing and to apply, visit the NYC Housing Connect website, here.
9 apartments in Manhattan available. Applications due 2/16 https://t.co/D8A7PYOHBI #HousingLottery pic.twitter.com/1k2IWVEtja
— NYC HPD (@NYCHousing) January 27, 2016
