There's a DC startup called Fundrise that has an innovative way of tackling the problem. Basically, the people in the community have a stake in the real estate

There's a DC startup called Fundrise that has an innovative way of tackling the problem. Basically, the people in the community have a stake in the real estate that is built, so Fundrise creates an investment opportunity for the people in the community to participate in the local commercial real estate market. This allows the average person to participate rather than larger corporations or people with plenty of cash on hand. I don't know if this model can scale up to a New York high rise, but they are currently working with quite a few properties in the Northeast.