Monday, January 16, 2012

Stuy Town Placing #3 at Curbed

Curbed Awards '11

It's not an award one would really want, but it could have been worse. Apparently last year Stuyvesant Town held the unenviable number one position at Curbed's yearly "Sh#tshows of the Year." This time around the frisky real estate commentary site of NYC trounced Stuy Town for several reasons, but things should look up for next year, as the dog rules here have been relaxed so much (together with the bicycle riding rules) that there's no need for ticketing dog owners for any infractions.

I do have to agree with Curbed on its layering into the One Madison Park building--you know, the ugly block upon block spire that hovers over Madison Square Park and seems like it's going to topple over from a strong wind. A monument to Bloomberg's New York and why real estate developers and zoning regulators should be held in check.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who is confused about what the the current dog law actually is in Stuyvesant Town?

I thought that dogs were NOT officially allowed on/in/around the Oval, even though their owners take them there and Security does nothing about it?

Perhaps Adam Rose would like to weigh in on this subject and provide some much-needed clarity.

MarkHand said...

Once the dog genie was let off it's poverbial leash security will never do anything about them... they might as well poop on a security car's hood & they wont do sh... well you get the idea

Anonymous said...

Is anyone reporting the airbnb crap? Who is working on this , if anyone?

BRAVO on the security measures here Rose! BRAVO

Anonymous said...

http://tinyurl.com/7upb3au
Outlines the rules regarding dogs/grassy areas. Dogs are permitted on some of the grassy areas, provided of course the owner cleans up after them. Dogs are not permitted on the Oval, according to the map found at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/82wc2k8

Peace Out G-Money

Stuy Town Reporter said...

The remaining (few) dog rules around here are regularly disregarded, and there's almost zero policing of these remaining rules. There's a security booth right in the Oval area, with many a dog being walked along the pathways there, if not sitting on one of the benches, and security does nothing. Whenever I walk through Stuy Town, I'm guaranteed to see dogs pissing or defecating in flower or plant beds. It's amazing that security never sees the same. Actually, they probably do see all this, but are following the unwritten rule of not bothering dog owners unless the violation is excessive.

Anonymous said...

@ST Reporter, 1:18 pm.

I understand your point, but where would you prefer people's dogs pee? on the concrete or on grass/dirt?

Rich said...

As a dog owner who does follow the rules, they are as follows: the Oval grass remans off-limits, as are any areas with explicit "no dog" postings. The gravel track around the Oval, however, is fine as are all other paved pathways.

All playgrounds and ball fields, however, also remain off limits.

The only other "newly opened up" areas include any unmarked grass and soil areas, as long as NYC pooper scooper laws are followed. In short, except for the Oval, we're following similar rules as those enforced in NYC parks...if your dog does its business, including on the sidewalk, the grass, and the dirt, you pick it up.

As explained to me by a security guard, ST can't apply rules more onerous than NYC law for the simple reason that NYC-sanctioned fines and violations (Security officers are also NYC peace officers) would not then be legal to issue...or be enforceable in court when challenged.

Anonymous said...

I am the first to beat up Adam Rose and the security team about dogs being off leash or in areas they arent allowed. I literally called every day to stop the off leash/dog run the dog owners started in the back grass of playground 1 in ST. This area is still on the dog free list. Occassionally I will see dog owners with their dog in tow go on the grass and let the dog poop and then leave. There is nothing security can do about this except maybe to review the tapes find the perp and issue a fine or warning. Yet, I blame the dog owners for this not management or the security staff. That being said I find that security has done a wonderful job keeping this area relatively free of dogs, at least off leash. Recently one of the more notorious rule breakers started taking her dog off the leash and allowing it to run in this back grass again. You could see her trying to recruit other dog owners to join her, most refused one or two complied. I once again called security and the officer I spoke with was pleasant and professional and immediately investigated the situation. He knew who the tenant was (I suspect from what he said) and I havent seen her with the dog off the leash since. I cannot comment on the situation at the Oval but as far as playground 1 all I can say is Kudos to Adam Rose and the security staff on a job well done. P.S. I dont complement either Mr Rose or the security staff often so you know I'm sincere about this.

Anonymous said...

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/227649

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>I understand your point, but where would you prefer people's dogs pee? on the concrete or on grass/dirt?<<

I would prefer dogs not to do their thing right on flowers or plants (or trees), which I see all the time.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>The gravel track around the Oval, however, is fine as are all other paved pathways.<<

This may very well be, but the Stuy Town "dog map" should be changed to reflect this. Currently the gravel pathway in the Oval is designated as no dogs allowed, as is the fountain area.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/227649

Wow, you are even greeted on that page by a map of Stuy Town! $100 and up for sleeping on a futon, too. But if you look at the calender, no guests coming up.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

"I once again called security and the officer I spoke with was pleasant and professional and immediately investigated the situation."

I have to concur that security does have a good attitude these days, with an emphasis on being pleasant and professional when one addresses them with a concern or issue. Ditto maintenance when one calls them up.

Anonymous said...

"@ST Reporter, 1:18 pm.

I understand your point, but where would you prefer people's dogs pee? on the concrete or on grass/dirt?

January 17, 2012 3:20 PM"

I love dogs. Don't have one. But feel owners need to be responsible in their care.

I, for one, would rather have them do business in the grass than on the path I walk upon. I see people picking up after their dogs and I don't believe that dog pee is going to eradicate the lawns. That will happen from the football players, sun bathers and all of the other "lawn crossers."

Anonymous said...

I wish that STR, Rose, Security, et al would focus less on the dogs and their owners and more on the illegal hotel/brothel/flophouse/fratboys/sorority whores and other two-legged vermin who have turned Stuyvesant Town into the shithole that it has become. And if the TA/Brookfield and/or Guterman want to sell us this dump, they had better clean it up.

Anonymous said...

Agree with all the points brought up by anon 10:43, however, I would think that piss and crap would be the first issue to be addressed. As far as the prior question being raised: "where would you like dogs to piss and crap"? well, how about the street? Ever here the term "curb your dog"? For any residents hoping for a solution to all of this I'm afraid you're going to have to wait for the conversion. I think Brookfield is aware of what increases property values and what decreases them. I think we can probably expect fences put up around all the grassy areas and some beautiful plantings all around the property. Until then just resign yourselves to watching dog owners letting their dogs piss on whatever remaining live plantings we have here.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I'd prefer if the dog does its business on the dirt (and the owner picks it up), rather than leaving a smear on the sidewalk.

But maybe that's just me.

Anonymous said...

I have never understood the mentality that grass is something you just look at from a far and don't actually walk on. Most landscape design now contemplates people actually using the lawn. It's such an outdated and un-human/unsustainable use of green space--something out of Robert Moses/Le Corbusier era. (Not that I want dogs pooping on it, but people walking, sitting and playing, yes). That is definitely one of the positive changes here.

Anonymous said...

"I have never understood the mentality that grass is something you just look at from a far and don't actually walk on."


Except when lazy/inconsiderate pedestrians - young and old - wear a muddy trench shortcut through the grass to save walking a few extra feet along the paved walkway. To see it drives me insane.

Anonymous said...

"Except when lazy/inconsiderate pedestrians - young and old - wear a muddy trench shortcut through the grass to save walking a few extra feet along the paved walkway. To see it drives me insane."

YES!

I'm truly hoping they put the chains back up someday.

LIBshark said...

Its a matter of time before a full fledged dog run is open in StuyTown so that those entitled wads will be made to feel comfortable ...

Anonymous said...

OvalMutts

Take out the ice skating rink and put in a dog run.

YAY! problem solved.

Anonymous said...

What's the matter with a dog run? I'm not getting it--a dog run is good thing (and I don't even a dog).

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Where would one place a dog run? The noise and smell of a dog run could be a problem from some tenants.

Anonymous said...

There are already plenty of convenient dog runs:

Tompkins Square Park and Stuyvesant Park.

Walk a little further and there's one at Union Square and a little further uptown at Madison Square Park.

Walk those doggies!

Anonymous said...

"Where would one place a dog run? The noise and smell of a dog run could be a problem from some tenants."

I was thinking Gramercy Park. Heck, the cops seem to think this is Gramercy anyway!

Anonymous said...

The problem with a dog run is that it is noisy. Even though we have a lot of grassy areas here, all of them are close to the buildings. That's a good thing—whichever building you live in, you can enjoy grass, plants, and flowers on your way home (or you did until parts were turned into dust bowls). There's a dog run in Tompkins Square Park and one in Madison Square Park. All over this city people have to go much farther to get to a dog run.

Anonymous said...

"What's the matter with a dog run? I'm not getting it--a dog run is good thing (and I don't even a dog)."

For the reasons already articulated by STR, a statement as bizarre and detached as this isn't even worthy of a response.

Anonymous said...

That kind of unintellectual response is going to get you nowhere. This is why you are losing. You have to be able to answer questions like "what's the matter with a dog run" with answers more thought out than "a bizarre question not even worthy of a response."

Really? Just asking about a dog run in our home property is "not worthy of a response?" Do you wonder why no one rallies around your positions?

Anonymous said...

I want to hear from Adam R. Rose what he's doing about the hotels. If he's not doing anything, which is what i suspect since Soraya and Vineet have been around for a while, I want him to say so and then explain why. He can find the rest of them by himself. I'm not here to help him.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

This week's T&V actually has an article about the illegal hotels in Stuy Town. Quoting: "In response to the recent hotel activity, Adam Rose, co-president of Rose Associates, said management has been investigating--and litigating against those tenants--on an ongoing basis."

Anonymous said...

What T&V says about airbnb isn't true. Those hotels aren't all new listings.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

It would be interesting to know just how many tenants have been litigated for illegal hotels so far.

Anonymous said...

Try looking on e-Courts. I plan to check it out later today.