Today. Not as loud as Joy Ride, but kicking in with the exhaust/refrig/whatever system. Doesn't belong here, either way.
BTW, I've noticed that a LOT of young NYU-type Lower East Side residents are using the Oval on nice sunny days like today. I see them flocking in from below 14th St, bringing their chairs and blankets and water bottles. I guess these food trucks are for their pleasure as well--and they don't care about what the trucks do to the complex because--hey--they don't live here and it's super having snacks and soft drinks/coffee at your disposal a few yards away from where you sunbathe or kick back with a book.
Of course, Rose Associates bullshits about the Oval and who is allowed to be in it, as they imply on the official Community site that the Oval and its events are for "PCVST residents and their guests." Yet what has happened is that now the Oval is a not very well "best kept secret" of where young white folks can head for a safe and relatively relaxing afternoon, for free and without paying any rent. I wonder if our rent checks help out in the public access use of this complex and its cleanup afterward? Perhaps Adam Rose can lower our rents if so, because we shouldn't be paying for this.
47 comments:
I agree, STR, we should not be paying for this kind of nonsense out of our rents when we can't even get the buildings cleaned on a regular basis, we have to pay them to take away our furniture (formerly a free service) if we don't feeling like hauling it outside on whatever days we are allowed to do that. To add insult to injury, we have to put up with the most inferior, filthiest and overpriced laundry "facilities" this side of the Ganges. We most definitely are entitled to a reduction in rent because the carnival and fairground attractions are being paid for out of our rent checks. Maybe Rose should start charging an entrance fee to the "park" for outsiders and then we'll see how many are interested in using and abusing our what-once-was an oasis. These days it's more like a septic tank than an oasis. We renters have had diminution of services, but Rose wastes money on this ridiculous crap. Maybe CW should rethink whether Rose is the best company to manage this property.
Unbelievable. Some " private property" we are! Let me guess, security isnt checking their i.d. like they do with the playgrounds.
"kick back with a book"
A book? Like, what's that?:)
Security does not check anyone, either entering Stuy Town or entering the fenced-in grass area of the Oval. Apparently this complex is not completely "private property" and allows the outside public access--and in the case of the Oval, use.
One also wonders if our rent if paying for those deluxe monthly event and amenities brochures.
And, yeah, my building also is in desperate need of a cleaning and painting.
The food truck infestation is an nice juxtaposition to Adam Rose's assertion in T&V that his quality of life initiatives are working.
WTF?
He promotes "the best gourmet food trucks" on this site:
http://www.pcvst.com/
He's the ringmaster of this circus. Ladies and gentlemen...step right up...see the further destruction of Stuyvesant Town. Zoning law? What's a zoning law?
Gourmet food truck,
Jumbo shrimp,
Army intelligence,
PCV/ST quality of life.
All oxymorons.
Conquer filling apartments before taking the mobile culinary world by storm.
Where do these mobile "gourmets" go to use the bathroom and where do they wash up? The fountain? What Health Dept. grades do these "gourmet" trucks have? Probably an "F." And what about those zoning laws? If this is a residential community this shouldn't be allowed. Who does Adam Rose pay off in the particular departments that deal with these laws? I think there should be an inquiry into this.
And how are the gourmet trucks chosen? Are they paying someone for the privilege of breaking the law here?
We all have and are entitled to our opinions but to suggest Adam Rose is “paying off” people in order to have food trucks on the property is outright ridiculous. ST/PCV is private property and they can invite onto it any food truck they like. Does this idea need to be nurtured more? Absolutely. And MGMT is doing that. But the continual and personal bashing of Adam Rose in the comments doesn’t benefit anyone, especially the tenants.
I also don't think Adam Rose is paying off someone here. And it's very possible that ST/PCV does not get a "take" from whatever earnings these trucks make or that these trucks pay a fee to enter ST. It could be a simple invitation to enter the complex, gratis. That said, I'm not exactly sure, Lux, what you mean that the truck idea needs to be "nurtured." I say the truck idea needs to be abandoned--unless management puts these trucks outside the complex or close to the border. They don't belong at the Oval. Just my opinion, of course.
I also am continually curious as to zoning laws and if any apply to this place, which is, yes, private property (with, as the security chief admitted, "public access).
Let me also say something about Adam Rose. Initially I was very receptive to Rose Associates coming back here and making things right again. I've even had some (minimal) communication with Adam Rose, as he has sought to explain a thing or two to me about problems that are occurring. I see the many positive changes that Adam Rose has instituted, and that there is more of a dedication and push to make this complex function and deal with resident complaints. Part of that is Adam reaching out to you, Lux, and through this, to residents who may have complaints and pressing needs.
BUT... I am also seeing a return to the policies of Tishman Speyer, in particular to the policies of how this place is promoted, sold and to whom. Aside from having a roof over my head (and in Manhattan) what I value above all in Stuyvesant Town is the oasis-like feeling it can give one where the pace and the noise of the city are not present (unless you live at the borders). I've seen this oasis disrupted by continual weekly "events" and now food trucks. And it makes me both sad and furious that one of the true treasures of living here is being marred and, on days, taken away.
Maybe there's a lawyer out there who can clarify "the right to quiet enjoyment". Please copy and paste the following link....
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Right+to+quiet+enjoyment
Is there something that can be done legally?
nuisance n. the unreasonable, unwarranted and/or unlawful use of property, which causes inconvenience or damage to others, either to individuals and/or to the general public. Nuisances can include noxious smells, noise, burning, misdirection of water on to other property, illegal gambling, unauthorized collections of rusting autos, indecent signs and pictures on businesses, and a host of bothersome activities. Where illegal they can be abated (changed, repaired, or improved) by criminal or quasi-criminal charges. If a nuisance interferes with another person's quiet or peaceful or pleasant use of his/her property, it may be the basis for a lawsuit for damages and/or an injunction ordering the person or entity causing the nuisance to desist (stop) or limit the activity (such as closing down an activity in the evening). (See: public nuisance, private nuisance)
When I say nurtured I mean trying to find a way to include them so they don't disturb the immediate area. That may include putting them on electricity or keeping them nearby on the loop roads as I said in that lengthy Facebook discussion last week - before that chick deleted all her comments. The electricity route seems like the better idea.
Anyone who has ever bought food from trucks like these knows they can sometimes be noisy and omit fumes. What works on an empty street by an art gallery in Chelsea or outside Vandam on Varick may not work so close to an apartment building.
The trucks are not my thing - I'm not one to walk and eat - but who cares. I think the comments could be more useful to everyone if they discussed possible solutions rather than our property manager choking on dumplings.
Rose picked up where Robbie left off.
Food trucks? Please.
They won't even let these guys in Central Park.
I am not immediately averse to having a truck on the loop, though I wouldn't even want to see that from 8am to 8pm, but I think accepting the trucks on the Oval, even if they are quiet via electricity, is a defeat for us.
What I'm wary of is that Rose Associates is engaging in four steps backwards here (trucks on the Oval, with all their noise and pollution) and then one or two steps forward (trucks on the Oval, but quiet trucks), leaving us with a negative anyway, but with the idea that we should be thankful for this compromise and consider it a win for residents. Having these trucks, quiet or not, on the Oval grounds is a visual blight to what the Oval has always been and what it has stood for. If we allow them here (as if we have a real choice!), then they will become the norm--all year round even--and we will have permanently lost another valuable quality of life element in this complex.
The sight of the trucks, sounds, fumes, smells and remnants of food, Essentials etc. are all wrong. They don't belong here. Residential. Not commercial. The end.
Note to the "Anonymous" who is writing about "kickbacks".... While I may have let one or two suggestions of such through to see the light of day as a show of people's New York emotions on the truck issue, I'm not going to let more serious accusations of this through unless a poster has proof to back up such a claim. Frankly, it would be insane for Rose to be involved in something like that, and that he isn't. Despite my STRONG disagreement with Rose on the truck issue and on things like the continual barrage of summer events, I consider him a man of integrity and dedication to HIS job, which doesn't always jibe with what residents may want.
So please, no more of this.
Regarding these trucks: issues of zoning laws, aesthetic value, etc, remain and are valid for exploration. Outlandish serious accusations are not.
If a nuisance interferes with another person's quiet or peaceful or pleasant use of his/her property, it may be the basis for a lawsuit for damages and/or an injunction ordering the person or entity causing the nuisance to desist (stop) or limit the activity
The man of integrity is destroying my home.
How so? (And I'm not asking to be smart, but curious.)
You're kidding, right? A quote from you, STR. You wrote it when you declared war. Come on.
"I'm thoroughly disgusted with what's happening here in Stuyvesant and with Rose Associates and the bullshit that's coming from them, as they try to SELL, SELL, SELL the apartments here to the detriment of the complex. Rose Associates now officially enters my book as the true inheritors of Tishman Speyer's presence here. And that's not a compliment."
You are very naive!
I do consider Rose Associates the true inheritors to Tishman Speyer, in that they are following certain Tishman Speyer traditions: pimping the Oval Essentials, laying on Oval "events,' food trucks on the Oval (that Mud Truck was here with Tishman Speyer, briefly), angling ads and promotions toward a very young and transient crowd, allowing apartments to be subdivided into more units than need be, etc.
But certainly Rose Associates has reached out to tenants when Tishman Speyer didn't. Rose has increased security "walking the beat" (I've noticed this myself), has made greater efforts to respond to tenant complaints, has finally done something to make the inner Oval grounds look good again, etc.
So it's not just all bad news. Adam Rose is not Robbie Speyer (thankfully!). But, yes, where it concerns the food trucks and the continual disruptive summer events, it is war. At least for me.
Two faces have I?
You do?
But, seriously, explain to me where I am wrong in my analysis of Rose Associates.
And if you've seen today's T&V, "the best newspaper," according to you, the food trucks will be here all the time so your judgments and declarations of war have had no impact. But it's your blog. Do your thing.
And with these trucks.... You would suggest what....?
I checked Town & Village. Now we have a name to direct our wrath: Maya Autret, director of programming for ST/PCV.
More on this article in another blog post.
I totally disagree with the stupid accusation that Adam Rose is paying off someone or getting any kind of a kick back for having these food trucks here. However, I think he is guilty of exceptionally bad taste (no pun intended) in having these things in the Oval. Rose first started ruining the Oval during their first regime when they chopped down most of the beautiful trees and opened the Oval up to people trampling all over it. Now they have come back and finished the job by turning it into a commercial strip and public park. I don't go to the Oval any more because it has lost all of its charm (for me at least). What used to be a peaceful oasis is now just another scruffy public playground/park. Whoever came up with the idea of putting those food trucks in the Oval is a complete moron and I'm surprised at Adam Rose for allowing it. I thought he was a bit classier than that.
I agree, and think you are spot on with the "scruffy public playground/park" comment (though I do like the idea of opening up the center grass area, if it can be kept clean and nice-looking). Certainly you shouldn't go to the Oval today. The Joy Ride Truck is there and still making its nuisance noise. Thanks once again, Adam!
Why has LuxLiving become the new garbage monitor for Rose? I think the discarded furniture on the property blends in well with the food carts. Gives the property that unique trailer park look that Rose is striving for. Just add a couple of rusting cars with the tires missing and the whole ambience will be complete.
Lux can speak for himself, but I do believe the idea is to make this place work the way it's supposed to and help that process. None of us wants to see this junk outside all the time.
That said, Lux is certainly doing the work that Rose Associates should be doing themselves. Where are the building inspectors? Where is the security and the maintenance staff that should be seeing and reporting all of these furniture dumps?
I promise you, the last thing I want to look at while having my morning coffee is garbage covered in baby feces and furniture dumping. lol
There is clearly a need to educate tenants when it comes to furniture dumping. I'm going to post the photos anyway so I may as well get information to the eyes I have looking.
I can't WAIT for the new blog I am working on to go live because one of the firs posts I am writing is how and where to locally donate clothing, furniture, broken electronics, etc. There are SO many places that can help take this stuff away free.
EDUCATION is my new mantra.
To Lux Living: Please help educate Adam Rose that we don't want those shitty food trucks on or near the Oval. They are intrusive and offense and contribute to the litter and well fed rat population on the property.
Ya gotta love Sabina Mollot’s quote in the 7/14/11 T&V:
“Of course, like anything else in Stuyvesant Town, the trucks have already managed to stir up some controversy.”
Yes, “Of course”. How fucking condescending. Hey Sabina, how does it feel to be a shill for Rose? You’re one hell of a journalist. Hey, Sabina, I also hear that News Corp. has a couple of openings right now. Interested? Full disclosure, she at least gave the URL for the STR and the FB page for Lux.
Also, as per the article:
"The offending truck was then moved to an area on the Oval where the green market takes place, away from the buildings”.
Away from the buildings? Not quite, Sherlock. It was placed in the Oval dead zone just opposite Playground 12 whereby people sitting in that area had to breath in the carbon monoxide and listen to load fan noise. The noise which will not be abated even if all of the trucks are hooked up to an outlet.
What a bunch of BS. Does Rose management listen to the landscape architects that they hired.? Isn’t their role model supposed to be the Central Park Conservatory? Gee , I see lots of "gourmet" trucks on the Sheep Meadow. NOT.
One more vent. Hey Maya, the new buzzword, which the gentrifiers now use to justify their douche bagging of Manhattan and Brooklyn, is “artisanal”. Gourmet is so eighties.
The Sabina article on the food trucks was a real disappointment. "Gourmet food and drink trucks" she titled it. What gourmet?
This is one definition of "gourmet": Gourmet food is that which is of the highest quality, perfectly prepared and artfully presented. Yeah, Korilla BBQ, Richshaw, Joy Ride, Mud and the rest fit right in.
And then Maya has to bullshit about "the great demand" that ST/PCV residents have for these trucks.
Both Maya and Sabina should go work for Rupert Murdoch. They'd fit right in. As for Adam Rose, he is a disappointment. He is doing nothing to improve the quality of life here in this dorm/swingles ghetto that used to be a pleasant and tranquil place to live. He's also not doing anything to improve the bottom line because these carnival attractions appeal more to the people who live outside of the complex rather than those of us who actually live here. Meantime, we have a revolving door tenancy of college kids and swingles and their friends who cram into apartments that have been subdivided into cubicles and they put more demand on the water and electricity and general wear and tear of the place, especially as we have skeleton maintenance staff. I think that ST/PCV is just about at the end of the road, especially Stuyvesant Town. It bears so little resemblance to what it was built for and how it used to be and what made it an attractive place to live they may as well sell is to NYU and maybe pay the rent stabilized tenants to go quietly. That would be more humane than torturing us out!
It's naive to think food trucks and random music acts are going to fill apartments. The majority of the people attending these events come from the East Village. They pour in and they pour out. They're not going to rent a $3,300 one bedroom apartment. They're not.
If Rose concentrated on KEEPING people here instead of acting like the guys who give out Buy One, Get One Free Suits coupons, they wouldn't have the need for this idiot and her events. Fire her and use her salary to pick up the littered furniture!
I still want to know where the "gourmet" chefs go to use the lavatory and where do they wash their hands.
They pee on one side of the fountain and wash their hands on the other side. Like India.
Bat,
You are right. It's a short-term fix and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The faux-amenities lure in transients interested in the "lifestyle." As do pressure walls, student warehousing and overlooking the occasional hoteling since it helps the monsters keep current on the rent while still paying their Oval Fitness bill.
It all breaks down when the percentage of the population engaged in this crap grows too large. Like any Ponzi scheme, it becomes too hard to replace departing tenants because conditions degrade and turnover keeps increasing. The rat can only run on the wheel so fast for so long.
No one cares because contracted management probably expects their time here is limited as do the current owners. They just want to keep the balls in the air long enough to find the next, greater fool.
Oval Dining?!? Not! Drop that Falafel...
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/07/18/report-new-york-city-mobile-food-carts-hit-with-2571-violations-this-year/
http://www.dnainfo.com/20110718/midtown/food-carts-rack-up-more-than-2500-health-violations
http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-street-dirty-vendors-story,0,2134340.story
Bad news: the trucks will stay.
Good news: "Amenities" will now include walk-in emergency medical care for eColi sufferers!
Bon Apetit!
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