CITY COLLEGE–Residents of Manhattanville Houses enjoy a sweeping view of the New York City skyline from the communal patio on the top floor of every building. Some apartments also offer priceless city views. “From my apartment, you can see all the way to the Empire State Building. It’s nice during the day, but it’s very beautiful at night,” Loretta R. Thomas, a tenant, said. The six apartment buildings in the complex rise 20 stories, and Thomas describes the view as her unit’s biggest charm. “My apartment, if they were to renovate it and sell it, would be worth millions.”
That is exactly what tenants at Manhattanville worry the city will do. They fear they are on the brink of losing their affordable apartments because the New York City Housing Authority is in the process of leasing this public housing development to a private landlord.
“Manhattanville is prime real estate, and it’s easy to convert because it has only six buildings,” said Brittnee Lucas, whose mother lives in the complex. “Of course developers want it.”
