In Far Rockaway, some developers are abandoning projects, resulting in vacant homes and unfinished developments. For decades, land in Far Rockaway was vacant until the city partnered with the Briarwood Organization in 1999 to bring below-market-rate waterfront housing to the area. “Every time the economy rises, everybody and his brother wants to be a developer. And as soon as there is a glitch in the economy, these so-called developers run for the hills,” said Vincent Riso, a managing member of Briarwood. When developers suddenly stop building, construction jobs disappear, hurting the local job market. The city has been working to assume many of the buildings that have been boarded up and abandoned in order to increase neighboring property values.