As many as 541 properties in the five boroughs may be sitting vacant, according to an analysis of 311 calls over the past 12 months by OneTitle National Guaranty Company.
The New York Post reported that many of these buildings are in neighborhoods the Citizens Budget Commission singled out as in particular need of affordable housing, but didn’t mention what kind of buildings they are, how big they are, and how many of them are usable for housing.
“These are hiding in plain sight,” OneTitle’s Daniel Price told the Post. Brooklyn and Queens have 155 vacant buildings each, the Bronx has 110, Manhattan 63 and Staten Island 58.
OneTitle analyzed 40,000 calls to the 311 line over the last six years and cross-referenced the addresses with other data, according to the Post.
In November, a report from the Municipal Art Society claimed that over 2,700 properties owned or leased by the city were considered vacant. The city disputed the study. And in February 2016, Comptroller Scott Stringer issued a report that over 1,100 vacant lots owned by the city could be used for affordable housing. The city said the report was unfair, noting that about 700 of those properties were in flood zones, were unsuitable for residential development or were slated to be developed. [NYP] — Konrad Putzier