Northeast
Facing community pushback, NYC mayor reverses plan to house migrants in luxury building
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has done a U-turn on plans to convert an abandoned luxury apartment complex into a shelter for illegal migrants after the community in Harlem opposed the proposal.
Adams turned up unannounced at a community meeting in the Upper Manhattan neighborhood Thursday where locals were gathering to discuss rumors the building on the corner of 130th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. was quietly being prepared for immigrants, according to CBS News.
The building was first advertised as luxury housing with a swimming pool, but it has been empty for around a decade after its developers defaulted on loans, the outlet reports. It was built in 2007 and has 35 units, city records show.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has reversed plans to convert an abandoned luxury apartment complex into a shelter for illegal migrants after the community in Harlem opposed the proposal. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images and Google Maps)
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It was then leased to a nonprofit that had been working with the city Department of Social Services/Homeless Services to use it as a shelter for either migrants or the city’s native homeless population, the New York Post reports.
Residents saw boxes of bunk beds being loaded into the building. So, when they weren’t getting answers, they convened a meeting. They said they were angry over the lack of communication and about being kept in the dark.
“No, I don’t agree with it turning into a sanctuary for asylum seekers knowing we have people right here that need the space,” said Tiffany Fulton, executive director of Silent Voices United Inc., a local nonprofit that helps underserved communities.
Central Harlem, where about 44 % of residents are Black, is generally a low-income neighborhood with a 28.4% poverty rate compared to 18.0% citywide, according to the 2020 census.
Asylum seekers line up in front of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, which was converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City Sept. 27, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A sign at the meeting said, “Millions on migrants, what about youth programs?” Adams has said the illegal migrant crisis could cost the city as much as $12 billion through 2025. At least 170,000 illegal migrants have arrived in New York since the spring of 2022.
As the meeting took place, Adams turned up and answered questions from residents.
“You are the mayor. We do not want to hear excuses,” one Harlem resident said.
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But the mayor said that illegal migrants wouldn’t be placed inside the building and that it instead would house local homeless New Yorkers.
“I told the team, ‘Find out what’s going on here,’” Adams said. “We’re not moving folks into a brand new building when you have long-term needs in a community. That’s not going to happen.
“You will not have migrants and asylum seekers in that property.”
Single migrant men, mostly from West Africa, congregate in Tompkins Square Park as volunteers give away food and clothing Jan. 27, 2024, in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
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The mayor’s office did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment on the matter.
Harlem resident Regina Smith told CBS the neighborhood felt disrespected and that there are already too many homeless shelters in the community.
“We’re being priced out of the community,” she said.
Meanwhile, resident Leslie Johnson said the units should be used instead for affordable housing.
“These apartments could be used for us to go into,” Johnson told CBS.
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Vermont
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Boston, MA
Looking for a lodging adventure? Beat the heat at a floating B&B. – The Boston Globe
Afloat is an ideal option if you’ve ever had dreams of owning your own boat but have been told that boat ownership requires endless reserves of cash. Or if you’ve ever wanted to experience a houseboat, although I’d describe my houseboat as more of a floating hotel room.
I’ve made no secret of my dislike of the word “staycation,” but I’ll admit that booking at Afloat is as close as you can get to a staycation in Boston. Depending on your sea legs and your tolerance of motion, of course.
This is also one of the best lodging deals in Boston. My petite houseboat with a queen bed (although it looked more like a double) was $260 a night; two-bedroom yachts were $350. Moored at Constitution Marina in Charlestown, with views of the Zakim Bridge, the only way to get better water views would be to jump into the harbor.
There were some downsides to my houseboat, named Casita, which I believe translates into “little house with a touch of saltwater corrosion that bobs gently in a marina.” The interior was small, as in, I wouldn’t recommend this houseboat for anyone over 230 pounds or over 6 feet 2 inches, give or take. If you’re a hotel snob, it might not be a fit for your high-falutin’ tastes. The room is spartan, but it had everything I needed. There was a full bathroom, a coffee maker, a refrigerator, a hair dryer, an iron, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, heat, and a television.
Wait, but there’s more! There are plenty of moored boats and houseboats that you can rent on Airbnb or VRBO, but how many of them include a pool where you can splash your cares away? Or communal barbecues where you can BYOB (that’s bring your own beef) and grill your dinner? These are marina extras included in my stay that I was not expecting. I spent time by the pool with a soccer-crazed family from Norway. I tried to change the topic from soccer to my favorite Norwegian pop stars. The family hastily grabbed their towels and left the pool area.
There are people to escort you to your boat and carry your luggage. They also explained the room’s features. I assume if I were staying on a yacht, the orientation would be more detailed, including “do not untie this boat and start sailing to Bermuda.” There was a paper bag on the bed of my room filled with houseboat essentials: lip balm, a tin of mints, a blueberry Nutri-Grain bar, a bag of mini rice cakes, and a postcard of the marina.
Afloat has another advantage that I hadn’t anticipated. It gave me entrance to the rarified world of marina life. At one point or another, we’ve all walked by a marina and looked down as sun-kissed boat owners sipped beer on the decks of their yachts or hosed down their sailboats after a day at sea. We walk by, green in the gills with envy, trying to justify our feelings by saying that buying a boat is about as solid an investment as encasing cash in concrete and throwing it to the bottom of the ocean. But really, we want to be a part of it.
Finally, I had an entree into the marina universe. I walked around and checked out the other boats, my bare feet on the warm wooden planks. I casually waved or said, “How’s it going?” in a tone that indicated that I was also a part of marina culture, my imaginary yacht sitting nearby. I’m sure my jaunty nautical ensembles helped solidify my place there.
I generally avoid bed-and-breakfasts in the same way I avoid smiling folks on the sidewalk holding a clipboard who say, “Excuse me, sir, do you have a minute…” But Afloat is a different kind of B&B. I didn’t have to talk to other guests or sit awkwardly at a table with strangers in the morning. There’s also no hard and fast rule that breakfast ends at 9 a.m., which, coincidentally, is the time I normally wake up.
Instead, when you check in, you’re given $10 vouchers for Emmi Bakery & Cafe, which is a fish’s throw from the marina. Here, I could get whatever I liked, whenever I liked (the cafe closes at 4 p.m.), without feeling obligated to make small talk with strangers. The advantage of staying in a houseboat over a yacht is that it has a small, private deck adjacent to it, surrounded by herbs and flowers. I invited friends over, some of whom did not appreciate the charms of Casita as much as I did.
My husband was the first visitor. He entered with a look of horror and declared, “This place is terrible. I thought you only stayed at nice hotels.” Within five minutes, he grew seasick and quickly exited, never to return.
“I’m going to call you in the morning to make sure you haven’t floated out to sea,” he said as I rolled my eyes.
Other friends were kinder, but not much. I broke out a bottle of wine on the deck at sunset while my friends popped open the Dramamine. I barely noticed the sway, but the more delicate among you might blanch quickly.
Being at Constitution Marina gave me an excuse to explore Charlestown, a part of the city that I rarely see. Not because I don’t like it, but because parking can be a bear. I had dinner outside at Monument Restaurant and Tavern, looked around at Boston National Historic Park, and took the MBTA ferry from Charlestown to Long Wharf. For $3.75, I had a quick scenic spin in the harbor.
I’ll give the houseboat at Bed and Breakfast Afloat Boston a rating of four anchors out of five. I think much of my good vibes had to do with the perfect weather and the views, but I also loved the feeling of adventure and the way the water rocked me to sleep. That’s a feature you can’t find at any other B&B in the city.
28 Constitution Road, www.bedandbreakfastafloat.com. 617-241-9640.
Christopher Muther can be reached at christopher.muther@globe.com. Follow him @Chris_Muther and Instagram @chris_muther.
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