New 421a regulation bill outlaws “poor door”

Bill mandates that affordable units share same entrance, common areas as the market-rate ones

From left: 40 Riverside Boulevard, Gary Barnett and Gale Brewer
From left: 40 Riverside Boulevard, Gary Barnett and Gale Brewer

Developers who receive tax breaks to provide affordable units won’t be able to install so-called “poor doors” in their buildings.

It’s no longer allowed to separate entrances for those who pay market rate and those who live in the affordable apartments, according to a provision in the new 421a tax abatement bill that was passed last week in Albany, the New York Post reported.

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“Buildings that segregate entrances for lower-income and middle-class tenants are an affront to our values,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer told the Post.

The bill mandates that “affordable units shall share the same common entrances and common areas as market rate units.” [NYP] — Claire Moses