Yet the Good Neighbors planning process does not provide the most basic analysis of census & housing data showing how badlly broken the city housing policy is. Complicating the process further is the departure of Ryan as Strategic Planning Commissioner. Nobody in his/her right mind will take his job under this administration, which has literally given the city away to developers & special interests, such as the POVERTY INDUSTRY (BMHA being its captain)

As ownership plummetted on the West Side and vacancies rose, the city built 2292 new units between 1990 &1999, plus another 307 in 2000 & 265 in 2001.Worse still, the overwhelming preponderance was "multiples" (APARTMENTS) which were both heavily subsidized during construction & in subsequent property taxes. The city said "DON'T BUY . . .RENT". .and it worked. The percentage of owners keeps falling . .& so do neighborhoods!

Simply put, taxpayers paid developers to destroy their housing values, swamping neighborhoods with vacancies & fueling middleclass flight.

Here is some of the data that Good (SMART) Neighbors need:

1970 1980 1990 2000
Vacancies 8149 ` 15458 15451 22600
% of all units 4.9% 9.9% 10.2% 15.6%
Owner Occup 69444 62714 58909 53323
% of occup 44% 44.5% 43.2% 43.5%*
*This is deceptive, because mushrooming vacancies dominate many poor neighborhoods

Actually City rate of ownership slipped from 39% to 37% of all units, as West Side ownership is 22% of all units . . .so is Ellicott Dist at 22% OWNER OCCUPANCY, where untold $10's of taxpayer millions have been spent, much of it exempt from property taxes

Renter Occup 88508 78240 77527 69397
Poverty rate 14.8% 20.7% 25.6% 30.8%
Source: www.SOCDS.HUDUSER.org

And we cannot even find out how much HUD money is fuelling this self destruction, as HOPE VI builds the most costly apartments for the poor in city history (up to $1/4 million each, which will be controlled by a multi-millionaire developer in Philadelphia, as its East Side sister at Frederick Douglass will cost $150,000 per poverty apartment, controlled by a Canadian Developer (headed by a former NYS-DHCR Commissioner, speaking of insider trading, . . . & Pitts?)

Even more incredible, is George Arthur coiming out of retirement to be project manager for Buffalo throw-away housing . . . long failed 180 unit Ellicott Homes (S. Division opp. Frederick Douglass), built with Arthur's help in 1972, is being demolished by Masiello-connected-Dennis Penman . . to rebuild 160 new apartments for the poor. It, like $105 million WS Lakeview, will be a "NO HOME OWNERSHIP ZONE" . . .and officially introduce the new concept of HOUSING-AS-TRASH (Ellicott Homes lasted less than 30 years). The newbuild single homes, made of particle board & vinyl, which sell in foreclosure for less than 1/2 price within 5 years will not likely last 30 years. The most dramatic example of lack of value is 'newbuild' 110 Guilford off Broadway sold for $80,000 five yrs ago, just resold in HUD foreclosure for $16,000 (20% of Sale Price!)

Incredibly, nobody sees the problem of Geo. Arthur (& Penman) returning to the scene of his earlier crime . . .to commit it again!

Instead of "Good Neighbors Planning" we should have "DAMNED-MAD Neighbors" . . .Planning
R. Kern