"According to Apartment List, an online marketplace that matches renters with apartments, the median rent price in Allentown rose by 1.4% in July.
The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city now stands at $1,199, the report said. For a two-bedroom, that number is $1,427." Amy Unger WFMZ
So if someone makes $40,000yr/ $20/hr $800wk/ $3200month, $2500ish after taxes and pays $1200 rent. That means there is roughly $1300 left or $325 a week for food, clothing, car insurance/payment, cell phone etc. How the $@%# is that Affordable!!!
This is why you sometimes see 2 families or extended family members living in apartments in the city. The landlords know these people cant pay for two units so they allow them to stay and just jack up the price.
The landlords need to be held way more accountable in the city. Apartment units should only house 1 family because 1 family should be able to afford to live there.
The worst part is most of the landlords in the city live in New Jersey and New York. They probably never check on their property's unless the rent money stops coming. Hence all of the dumpy homes throughout the city.
Someone needs to seriously look into these landlords and their practices. Its getting ridiculously hard for the average person to even live.
8 comments:
The city's zoning department will happily admit it doesn't have the staffing necessary to enforce the city's zoning codes. People who contact zoning regarding clear violations on their street, or next door are told exactly this. In other words pound sand, we don't care. If this sounds alarming take the time to read,or try to read, Matt's new zoning rewrite. It's written in legalized jargon and even the definitions are head scrathers. This has to be intentional. Most likely to keep ordinary citizens from fouling up the mayor's dream of turning Allentown into the left's 15 minute city. Worries about two families in one apartment will seem quaint when the home next door becomes a rooming house and/or constructs a backyard rental home on what used to be the car pad. Never gear however! No need to worry about any of this if you live in the west end. None of this effects you. You're good.
You couldn't more wrong about the West End. More than half of all single family home sales are bought by suburban landlords for use as rentals. The health and vitality of the West End is extremely fragile and highly dependent on the decreasing stock of owner-occupied housing. There are still nice neighborhoods and plenty of amenities, but the quality of life issues seem to get worse daily, especially in Summer. The character of the West End is absolutely changing with the decline in homeownership and the increasing share of rental tenants are way more likely to generate quality of life challenges (crime, noise, poor property maintenance, exterior storage of junk/trash etc.) Add to this the nearly complete absence of Police in this part of the City (except for the ceremonial motorcycle brigade at the St. Patrick's Day Parade) and you have a still viable but increasingly vulnerable neighborhood.
Studio apartments in Allentown were to be limited to two people, which is not the profile of those needing "affordable" housing. Rents are high everywhere. I have the unpopular notion that the problem in Allentown is that rents are comparably very affordable, which is why we have a high percentage of low-income residents.
Sadly, you must be living in the "near" west end. Likely east of Ott street. When I say West End, I am referring to the tony areas west of Ott. While east of Ott is now suffering the same fate as West Park, those who populate the boards of the Trexler Trust and others, that are financing the NGO'S through grants, live a safe distance from the harm their non profits are inflicting on neighborhoods closer to the downtown.
You could be right Mike, however the fact remains that 40k a year doesnt leave you with much at the end of the week. And we all know most Allentonians living in center city do not make 40k or even work for that matter.
We should keep in mind rents aren't as expensive when subsidized. Section 8 is not the only way housing costs are subsidized. Kind of akin to the out of control building in our glorious NIZ... we would all be doing it if someone else paid the freight....
Sure they may be understaffed, but they sure find time to block some decent plans. Same with HARB... like a leech on one block and MIA in the next...
The zoning department and the zoning board are different entities.
Post a Comment