City challenging Queens Census

“Then we heard from Northwest Queens.”

Tallied losses in that region, which are being challenged by the city, are being held largely responsible for the almost flat population growth that now is officially recognized by the federal government.

Salvo is director of the Population Division of the city’s Department of Planning. Addressing the meeting, run by Borough President Helen Marshall, Salvo said the federal government has Queens down for 2.3 million people as of 2010.

That is enough to make it tied for third in the United States if it were a city, but still representing a growth of only 1,343 people in 10 years, or a 0.1 percent increase.

“And population numbers are what they use to determine things like economic development block grants and homeland security funding,” Salvo said.

He will be testifying before Congress next year in an effort to prove that the borough has been undercounted. But he also said that even if they can prove there was an error on the part of the Census Bureau, the 2.3 million figure will stand until 2020.

In the mean time, it will be used for reapportionment that will cost New York State two seats in Congress, and to redraw district maps for elections to the City Council and the state Senate and Assembly.

“The best we can do is to make sure they fix the error so that it is not repeated in the future,” Salvo said.

A map of official census results states that Astoria lost at least 10,000 people in the decade, and that Jackson Heights and a portion of Long Island City regions have lost between 5,000 and 10,000 apiece. Salvo said when census forms are not mailed back in, counters must go out in person to visit residences and make their best efforts.

He also said that according to federal accounting, Northwest Queens had an increase in both apartment vacancies and foreclosures, both considered indices of lower populations.

“But if those are true, don’t you think housing values would have plummeted?” he asked. “Don’t you think the banks would have noticed when our foreclosure belt here is in southern and southeast Queens? And the post office keeps track of all addresses that do not receive mail over 30 -, 60 - and 90 - day periods. Don’t you think they would have noticed?”

Salvo said he and his staff have gotten all that data to make sure there is no undercount in the future. And he said a similar phenomenon also occurred in one other place in the city — a single census district in Brooklyn.

“Just try to tell people living in Bay Ridge that there are 400 more apartment vacancies than 10 years ago,” he said. “Or tell someone in Bensonhurst that there are 300. It was a procedural error in one district. Because when you go into one portion of that district there are more than 500 apartment vacancies, but go one block outside that district’s lines and there are none.”

Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) said she too has a hard time accepting the apartment vacancy theory.

“My building is rent-controlled,” she said, “and when there is a vacancy they hike the price to $3,000 and it is never vacant for more than a month.” Koslowitz asked if this didn’t mean that perhaps places like Forest Hills, Kew Gardens and Rego Park in her district may have been undercounted. Salvo shook his head.

“The numbers seem to make sense in the other parts of Queens,” he said.

Salvo said New York City in general and Queens in particular are in good shape going forward in the coming decades.

“Young people want to come to New York City,” he said. “They like Queens and have discovered places like Long Island City because they have found that you can leave Manhattan and in four or five subway stops there are some nice places to live.”

While the white non-Hispanic population is down nearly 16 percent, immigrant populations are thriving in various areas of the borough. Hispanics, both immigrant and native-born, officially total nearly 614,000, while Asians are at 542,000.

Joseph Conley, chairman of Community Board 2, said the diversity is there for anyone to see.

“Just go to the Queens Center Mall and you will see everyone,” Conley said. “Or ride the 7 train. It used to be nicknamed The Orient Express. Now it’s Heinz’ 57 Varieties.