Orthodox Jews with large families are so intent on living in Borough Park, Brooklyn, it’s the neighborhood with the most crowded households in the city, a new report states. The 2005 “State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods” report, issued by NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, found that 13.1 percent of Borough Park’s homes fell into the “severely crowded” category, defined as more than 1.5 persons for each room. Borough Park was ranked the most congested neighborhood out of 55 around the city.

By comparison, Bedford-Stuyvesant a few miles away came in 51st, with just 0.8 percent of the units severely crowded.

“That’s not a surprise, not at all,” said City Councilman Simcha Felder, whose district includes Borough Park.

“Even in a neighborhood like Williamsburg [which is also heavily populated by Orthodox Jews], there are commercial zones being turned into housing.

“There’s really not much place to go in Borough Park.”

Felder said many Orthodox families have six or seven members.

“Some are more – not many are much less,” he said.

Overall, the housing picture in the city last year was mixed, with more units being produced – but the shortfall was still estimated at more than 100,000.

“The big-picture story is the loss of units affordable to working families over the last three years,” said Professor Vicki Been, director of the Furman Center.

NYP