Educators Only Need Apply to New Bronx Housing

An apartment complex in the Bronx is setting a new precedent for "affordable" housing: The city-funded project caters exclusively to members of a specific profession.

Comptroller William Thompson, joined by a city housing official and the president of the United Federation of Teachers, announced yesterday a 234-unit apartment complex that gives complete preference to educators, saying the development would help attract and retain stronger teachers. However, critics claim that a city-funded development for just one group is inefficient and lacks a long-term view.

The initiative provides funding for the construction of two buildings with 234 rental apartments in the Melrose section of the Bronx, with more than $28 million coming from the Teachers' Retirement System, and about $20 million in low-interest loans from the city's Housing Development Corp.

While HDC has previously funded projects that give preference to nearby residents or people with disabilities, it has not funded entire buildings that exclusively provide for a single profession, according to a spokesman for the city agency.

The arrangement gives complete preference to teachers, principals, and teachers' aides working for any school within the city who fit within the income guidelines: making up to about $76,000 for a family of four.

Mr. Thompson, who acts as the custodian of the five pension funds for city workers, said the development could open doors for similar projects with other employee groups.

"The trustees on many of our boards have expressed an interest," Mr. Thompson said. "I think you can expect to see other instances in the future."

Critics of affordable housing say that while such developments may help to attract specific employees, building subsidized housing with the narrow population targets is not the most effective method.

"It's a very expensive and elaborate approach," a vice president at the Manhattan Institute, Howard Husock, said. "The problem with subsidized housing is it freezes the use in a certain way, and this is really an extreme version of that."

A real estate law professor at Baruch College, Jay Weiser, said interest groups with stronger connections to the city are more likely to prevail with such development deals than other groups.

"City money is going to go not to where it's most needed, but to some politically connected group to get their housing subsidized," Mr. Weiser said.

The president of the United Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, defended the concept, saying housing affordability is one of the greatest challenges to a strong teaching workforce in the city.

"Our members have said we want to live in the city and raise our families in the city, but we can't afford it, so this is something we've been looking at for a while," Ms. Weingarten said.