Real estate agents in the Big Apple’s cutthroat housing market cite the controversy over congestion fees when pitching apartment sales and rentals in Manhattan outside the fee zones.
Glenn Barnett of Nest Seekers submits a list with the heading “Avoiding congestion charges.”
“You get a better response. People are curious,” Barnett said in a recent interview with the Post. “He has a million listings that say ‘amazing views.’ Let’s do something. It won’t hurt.”
He recently marketed a one-bedroom pad at 340 E. 93rd St. near 1st Avenue, touting “non-crowded pricing.”
Vehicles entering the Midtown Congestion Zone south of 60th Street will be subject to an anticipated $15 toll.
Only residents who live in congestion zones and earn less than $50,000 a year will be able to get the tolls paid back on their income taxes, excluding many apartment hunters from Manhattan’s notoriously expensive real estate market.
“If you’re in the housing market, it’s something to think about,” Barnett said of the new toll. “Living here is expensive enough.
“People are concerned. They want to know what congestion pricing is like. It’s very difficult to drive in Manhattan right now.”
Barnett’s email blasts typically end up on major real estate sites like Zillow and StreetEasy.
The MTA’s implementation of $15 tolls is rapidly approaching, scheduled to begin in mid-June after facing years of delays and numerous lawsuits.
Transportation officials say the tolls could raise $1 billion a year to help fund major upgrades to the MTA’s subway, commuter rail and bus systems, while also reducing traffic and air pollution. predicted to move people out of their cars and onto public transport.
But the toll, the nation’s first congestion pricing system, has sparked a fierce backlash over driving costs for commuters, including multiple lawsuits aimed at blocking it.
Plaintiffs include New York politicians, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the city’s teachers union, and Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella.
Even former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who approved congestion pricing legislation in 2019, opposes the bill, citing changed circumstances in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
His successor, Gov. Cathy Hochul, also supports the toll plan and heard from New Jersey resident and TV and movie star Whoopi Goldberg during an appearance on ABC’s “The View” last week. .
“If you know anyone looking for a one-bedroom apartment, please send them,” Barnett said jokingly.
