Nearly 90,000 New Yorkers Apply For "Poor Door" Apartments

Extell Development Company
Extell Development Company

Despite outcry in recent months over what's been dubbed as a "poor door," at a new glassy Upper West Side high-rise, it appears that nearly 90,000 New Yorkers have applied for low-income housing accessible through said door, which serves as a quite literal symbol of NYC's income inequality when compared to the entrance for rest of the building's high-price condo owners.

The New York Timesreported on Monday that over 88,000 people had applied since February for a chance to live in one of the building's 55 units at below-market rates, which start at a damn good $833 per month for a studio, according to a flier from the developer breaking down the rates and income requirements. Unsurprisingly, being scuttled in through the "poor door" and being denied access to some of the building's luxury amenities like a pool, gym, and bowling alley, it seems, is not enough to deter thousands of not-millionaire New Yorkers who need an affordable place to live, given the city's rental market. Lotteries for affordable housing in NYC have exploded since applications went online, with 486,000 applications submitted for 698 units in 10 lotteries the city has held this year alone, according to the report.

Now that the Monday deadline for applicants has passed, the NYC Housing Partnership plans to review the thousands of applicants for housing in the building beginning next month, which will apparently include 2,000 interviews with top applicants whose households meet the income requirements for low-income units. People who already live in the same area as the building, municipal employees, and people with disabilities will be given preference in the application screening process. And come August, the first "lucky" residents chosen for the units will start pouring in through the "poor door" and into the building, according to the report.

Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and, unfortunately, this reminds him of his potentially impending need to search for a new apartment. Send news tips to tony@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.