New Upper West Side luxury rental Aire can talk all it wants about its "boxcar-sized mailroom", hotel-like apartments, and 42-foot-long lobby mural. What it would really like to tell you is that it's in the P.S. 199 school district. But it can't! The Times takes a look at the legal dilemmas involved in mixing school zoning and brokerbabble. Brokers who mention specific schools leave themselves open to accusations that they are trying to steer white buyers toward particular neighborhoods, in violation of the Fair Housing Act. And, of course, there's the less hot-button problem that school boundaries sometimes change, so developers might not be able to deliver on a school promise. But hey, the Aire offers some education no P.S. can. What other kid's gonna know about Japanese tamo wood and pedestal sinks?
· The Perils of Promoting Schools as Amenities [NYT]
· Aire coverage [Curbed]
Filed under:
Loading comments...