A planned affordable housing apartment building on public land in Manhattan may instead be modified as a luxury building, according to a plan suggested by Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration.
The city has long-planned to build a 16 story, 226-unit affordable apartment tower on what is now a NYCHA parking lot in Hell's Kitchen.
But the mayor's office and NYCHA held a closed-door meeting Monday to unveil a much larger, much less affordable tower on the space, reports the NY Daily News.
The luxury tower would stand 30 to 50 stories, high above the NYCHA project, Harborview Terrace, next door.
Three of the four plans suggested for the property would lower the amount of affordable units. The dearest one calls for 70 percent of the units to be market rate and the remaining 30 percent to be affordable.
One plan suggested maintaining the 226 affordable units and tacking on another 527 market-rate apartments on top.
Two-bedroom apartments in Hell's Kitchen often go for around $5,000 per month.
Some officials reported being surprised and "disappointed" by the plans for the market rate units.
Photo: Getty Images