Homelessness on the Rise Under de Blasio

[rmstock]

Kamal Hamid/flickr.
Real Estate
Elsewhere
On the Market: Homelessness on the Rise Under de Blasio; Diners Continuing to Vanish
By Kim Velsey • 10/27/15 10:35am
http://observer.com/2015/10/on-the-market-homelessness-on-the-rise-under-de-blasio-diners-continuing-to-vanish/

"Despite Bill de Blasio's vows to curb homelessness—and possibly his
   best efforts, as well—the number of people entering the shelter system
   and the length of their stay there has increased, The New York Times
   reports. "And in another troubling sign, the number of families
   re-entering shelters within a year of leaving is increasing as well,"
   they add.

   The development of the Long Island College Hospital site is another
   sore spot for the mayor's administration, The Wall Street Journal
   reports, with many in the community feeling betrayed by his backing of
   an unpopular plan put forth by Fortis Property Group. Like almost
   everyone else, they report that he's "long given up on a full-service
   hospital at the site" and is now just trying to negotiate affordable
   units at the site. "The whole situation became a total mess," a top
   mayoral adviser told the paper.

   Much like the middle-class population that once patronized them, diners
   are a vanishing breed in the city, Crain's reports. "Between economic
   pressures, changes in eating habits and a next-generation not as
   interested as their parents in spending 16 hours a day manning a cash
   register, the city's diner scene may soon no longer exist."

   In other drinking and dining establishment news, locals say they are
   dreading the return of longtime Greenwich Village dive bar Chumley's,
   Gothamist reports. Nonetheless, "in a neighborhood where real estate
   prices soar ever upward, many see Chumley's not only as an affordable
   alternative but also as a testament to the authenticity of the
   neighborhood's character."

   The former Staten Island retreat of Catholic social activist Dorothy
   Day is now a vacant lot, but preservationists are moving to save it
   nonetheless, according to The New York Times.

   Meanwhile, Billie Holiday's last home at 26 W. 87th Street is asking
   $12.95 million, twice as much as it sold for five years ago, Curbed
   reports.

   Sam Zell has agreed to sell about a quarter of the units in his real
   estate company Equity Residential portfolio—some 23,000 apartments—for
   $5.4 billion to the Starwood Capital Group, according to The Wall
   Street Journal.

   Finally, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens is getting a gourmet falafel spot
   called Kulushkat, which will offer the fried chickpea balls and other
   Israeli specialties, according to DNAInfo. "