Some Hospital Staff Housing Units at Southtown Constitute Affordable Housing

Image of Weill Cornell Medical Center from NY Times

In yesterday's post regarding letter sent by Roosevelt Island Congressional, NY State and City elected officials to DHCR Commissioner and RIOC Chair VanAmerongen urging the Spitzer administration to ensure the affordable housing component to Southtown's Riverwalk development is complied with I wrote:

I am not sure if this is accurate, but I recall being told that the Weill-Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering units in Buildings 1 and 2 being used for staff housing constitutes "affordable housing".

RIOC President Shane confirms that this is the case suggesting:

I believe that if the occupants are at or below 150% of median income, then the answer would be "yes" . I suspect that many of the lab researchers/workers or nurses or interns or residents would all fall within that income group.

I see nothing wrong with that except this as stated by Roosevelt Island 360 in comment to yesterday's post:

Not sure how Bldgs 1 and 2 could be considered part of the affordable 40% if the rentals are not open to the public and available only through those employers.

If you wish to participate in a new poll on the topic of Roosevelt Island housing, here is the question: Should there be more subsidized "affordable housing" or "market rate" housing on Roosevelt Island"? The poll is located on right column page below Roosevelt Island Governing document links