The ‘Affordable’ Apartments at Brooklyn’s Futuristic Sinister Stalagmite Ain’t Cheap

The tallest tower in Brooklyn, upon which the Eye of Sauron will soon be unveiled, is finally opening. 

Studios at the SHoP-designed, 1,066-foot building start at just under $1 million, while a nice penthouse will cost you $6 million—a perfect vantage point for you to do that weird hand thing that the filthy rich like to do.

For lesser gods, there are market-rate rentals, which range from $3,750/month for a studio to three-bedroom apartments at $11,825/month. Their view may not be as nice, but everyone below will still look like ants—ants you can crush.

Mortals who beat the odds might be able to live in the 120 "affordable" units that Barad-dûr—I mean, the Brooklyn Tower—was required to offer, because the developers received a 421-a tax exemption from the state.

Back in 2016, when JDS Development took the tax break to build the tower, there were no clear guidelines for how deeply affordable these apartments needed to be (the City could have pushed for more, but didn't). The developer just had to set aside apartments for people making 130 percent of the area median income and below (up to $138,840 for two people), and then they could decide their "affordability"—how much of the "below" they included. 

Now that the Brooklyn Tower's lottery has now gone up on the City's Housing Connect website, let's see those income requirements:

Ah, well then. We've reached out to JDS Development to see why they chose to focus on New Yorkers earning six figures. We're guessing it has something to do with squeezing as much profit as humanly possible out of Mordor on DeKalb.

The 421-a tax break exemption the Brooklyn Tower received, which mandated these affordable apartments, expired last year, meaning no new buildings that begin construction right now qualify for the millions in tax breaks. Governor Kathy Hochul wants to revive it as part of the now-stalled state budget talks, possibly with a lower maximum AMI—but affordable housing advocates want it gone completely. It's not hard to see why. 

Some links to stack on top of one another until they form an affront to god: 

• Nassau County's gang database (like many across the country) includes people with no criminal history, nor is there a rationale given for why people are being listed. 
• A fire started by an e-bike battery killed two people in Astoria. Fire officials say the battery was not compatible with the charger it was being used with. 
• At the same time, according to a press release, Uber has started a trade-in program for its delivery workers to get them safer bikes. One thing Uber can also do? Stop fighting pay raises for their drivers (and also give them safe bikes). 
• Famously pastoral Manhattan must be spared from density, say local lawmakers. 
• Teens menaced by an off-duty cop (who was then praised by Mayor Eric Adams), marched from Brooklyn to City Hall to demand accountability. 
• Republicans (very normal) are holding a hearing about the policies of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg (totally usual oversight business by federal legislators). 
• Keith McNally, please continue speaking your truth. 
• There are still some people in City government actually trying to close Rikers by its mandated 2027 deadline.  
• A new Whitney retrospective is the first one (?!) to honor a Native artist. 
• More on Judge Rowan Wilson, Governor Hochul's pick to lead the Court of Appeals.
• Why would we need to protect tenants anyway? 
• And finally, just a reminder that Blank Street is no longer your least favorite coffee chain: