The following letter was published in this week’s issue of the Gazette.
To the editor:
Where are the affordable apartments for Croton residents and teachers? The proposed massive rezoning to encourage multi-story apartment buildings along Riverside Ave is promoted by our Croton Board of Trustees as being necessary to serve the Croton community.
Board member Richard Olver (The Gazette, week of April 4/10) points to the imminent opening of the apartments at Benedict and South Riverside as the beginning, and challenges others to come up “with your own good ideas for keeping our children, parents, teachers and municipal employees here in Croton.”
“Trustee Olver says the purpose of erecting all these apartments is to have “affordable private housing for Croton people.” As Mr. Olver notes, this new building on Benedict is the first of many to come. Since the Board of Trustees is pushing this new vision as a benefit to “Croton people” how about telling us how many of the new Benedict apartments are going to “Croton people” and how much the “affordable” monthly rent will be?”
So far, the village has been silent as to how any children, parents, teachers, or municipal employees can get those affordable apartments. Other municipalities require landlords to publicize and have lotteries and preference systems for affordable apartments. Croton has remained silent as to how village residents and workers are going to be able to get the first of these apartments on Benedict. We don’t even know the rental prices or how many affordable units are set aside for Croton residents and employees.
In fact the only benefit so far is to the residents of Young Avenue. They are being offered the opportunity to provide parking spots for tenants of the new building. Understandably, the folks on Young Avenue are not clear as to why turning their street into a parking lot is a benefit.
Trustee Olver says the purpose of erecting all these apartments is to have “affordable private housing for Croton people.” As Mr. Olver notes, this new building on Benedict is the first of many to come. Since the Board of Trustees is pushing this new vision as a benefit to “Croton people” how about telling us how many of the new Benedict apartments are going to “Croton people” and how much the “affordable” monthly rent will be?
Paul Steinberg