Going Out on a Pier to Buy A Home

Late last week, New York City went out on a limb, or a pier to be exact, to help a group of people in Queens.  For almost 100 years the 17 houses on Beach 84th Street Pier were owned by the state or city, and now, [due to a measure signed into law by Governor David Paterson], the residents will be able to purchase their homes.  The families in these houses emigrated from Italy to New York and have lived on the pier for generations.  While the price and sale has not been finalized, a press release from State Senator Malcolm A. Smith, who sponsored the bill, said details will be settled in the coming months.  A Google map image (pictured) shows the houses, tightly snuggled together and almost completely surrounded by water; it's one of the more distinctive living arrangements we've seen in a city known for people crammed one atop another.