A heated debate has erupted over whether an East Village Mitchell-Lama co-op should sell one of its parking lots to a developer.
A meeting on Thursday at an East Village school drew a standing-room-only crowd, with shareholders voicing frustration over what they said was a lack of input in the decision.
“I don’t know what it is, but I don’t particularly like it,” said Mike, a co-op shareholder who did not give his last name. “They’re supposed to send it to a vote and they don’t do that, they make the decision and they tell us, ‘That’s what you voted them in for.’ It’s not.”
Shareholders in the Mitchell-Lama co-op said the board hasn’t included them in the discussion over whether to sell the parking lot.
Village View is a seven-building Mitchell-Lama co-op in the East Village. The Mitchell-Lama program provides affordable rental and cooperative housing for moderate- and middle-income New Yorkers.
A land-use attorney representing Village View told shareholders that the co-op currently has a shortfall of more than $2 million.
The board wants to sell the parking lot to a developer, saying the deal could generate about $30 million in revenue, help pull the co-op out of debt and preserve the affordability of the complex.
But many residents strongly oppose.
“What are we gonna sell next?” one resident shouted during the meeting.
The co-op’s attorney said any developer who builds an apartment building on the site would be required to reserve 20% of the building for affordable housing.
Residents who rely on the co-op’s low-cost parking spaces said they do not want to give up the lot.
“There is such a dearth of parking spaces as it is, and hundreds of people on the waiting list and we know the parking situation in New York is crazy,” said resident Elizabeth Janovsky.
City Council Member Harvey Epstein, whose office organized the informational session, said the debate should focus on how to preserve Village View’s affordable housing.
“We want to save the Mitchell-Lama. It’s a lot of affordable housing for people in this community and we want to preserve it and the question is, you know, if we don’t do this, what are the options,” Epstein said.
The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development said it supports the potential sale of the parking lot. The agency said the additional income could help the co-op offset rising expenses, prevent future fee increases and contribute to addressing the city’s housing shortage.