From the April 12 issue of TOWN & VILLAGE, Sabina Mallot reporting:
"Although the issue of zoning for commercial activity in the Oval at Stuyvesant Town was hotly debated as the weekly greenmarket concluded its business for the season last fall, the market is scheduled to return this spring.
"Farmers who spoke with Town and Village this week said they expect to return to their tents in the complex and a spokesperson for CW Capital confirmed that the market would be returning, and in the same area."
Read more in this week's issue of T&V. The newspaper tried to get a comment from Amanda Burden, the Director of the Department of City Planning (whose review--"advisory opinion"--stated that the Farmers Market, as well as food trucks, were not zoned for use at their usual spots on the Oval), but the phone call was not returned. Dan Garodnick, who offered to work with CW Capital and management to find an appropriately zoned place for the Farmers Market, was not approached for a comment apparently; neither was the Tenants Association.
The market will open earlier than usual it seems, beginning May 6 and continuing till November 18th.
UPDATE: Well, this is going to be the excuse (or the legal reasoning): The Farmers Market can be in the Oval, as long as it's an "accessory use" for residents and their guests. If it's promoted for outsiders to come in, or if outsiders use it, one could say the Farmers Market is not zoned for that use. So, I guess the powers that be can put in a bowling alley in the middle of the Oval, and as long as only residents and their guests would be able to use it, at the exclusion of outsiders, everything would be okay. Now I understand how zoning regulations work.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Just gettin' the word out to Stuy Town residents and their guests. Don't forget, we live in Manhattan....
ANOTHER UPDATE!: There's been some confusion about what Amanda Burden, director of the Department of City Planning, wrote in her response to Dan Garodnick's query about commercial activities and zoning in Stuyvesant Town. Here is a link to the Tenants Association post on this issue, which itself has link to her letter. On a side note, I may have made this mistake as well as others, but the Department of Buildings did not make an initial ruling on this. Garodnick was supposed to follow up his letter to Burden with a similar one to the Buildings Department, but a response has yet to be made public. Based on my query today to Gardonick's office, the "accessory use" concept may have come from communication with this department.
The ball being in Goradnick's hands means that nothing will be done. He's off to the races now in his bid to become Comptroller (not that he will get my vote) and our issues are out of his little head. I guess the "ownership" issue has died a natural death. Nobody in their right mind would buy into this dorm/sewer which is being run into the ground by CW and Rose. I wonder who will eventually buy the complex and complete the mayhem started by Met/Rose/TS/NYU/Rose/CW?
ReplyDeleteYes, that “residents and their guest” loophole was really enforced during the summer concert series, wasn’t it?
ReplyDeleteIn the post, I removed the line about the ball being in Garodnick's hands, because I spoke to his office and they gave me the info about "accessory use." So, I guess that's his ball.
ReplyDelete>>Yes, that “residents and their guest” loophole was really enforced during the summer concert series, wasn’t it?<<
ReplyDeleteAnd some of those events were actively promoted outside of the complex.
I just don't know how you can prevent outsiders from buying at the Stuy Town market. No way is Public Security going to be carding people.
Right minded residents of ST/PCV are screwed. It's outrageous to claim accessory use in a publicly accessible area. Management simply uses whatever status suits their needs, and it's now obvious that the local politicians are totally powerless and without any balls whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteGreat, the market is one of the best aspects here. I wish it were here every day of the week. And hope the food trucks come back as well. Your opinion is very much in the minority as these things enhance life here and really do help people since there is no supermarket nearby that offers decent produce that's local and reasonably priced (don't even think about saying Associated).
ReplyDeleteI don't know where Associated gets their produce from or the other stores around Stuy Town/PCV. Do you?
ReplyDeleteBut, of course, you are ignoring that fact that no one has said they are AGAINST the Farmers Market, just the location. I myself wouldn't even mind the location if it weren't for the dismal look of the grounds the six days out of the week when the Farmers Market isn't there. No one can honestly say that the dirt area there, used chiefly for dogs urinating and dumping, looks well. It's a real eyesore.
ReplyDeleteDo these defenders realize what it means if the landlord can put any commercial BUSINESS he wants to on our property?
ReplyDeleteI always go to the Farmers Market at Union Square. 1000% better than the tawdry crew that sets up shop here on Sundays. No dogs pissing and shitting around the produce and there's much more variety and the stuff is fresher.
ReplyDeleteto 331
ReplyDeleteThe student issue will get much worse if we do not turn coop or condo, they will have many more opportunities to rent. If we were a coop we could put and end to it. But the issue of turning has seemed to dampen, sadly
I'm not sure that one can legally put an end to students renting here. Remember, that even if we do go co-op or condo, a large chunk of the apartments (if not a majority of them) will still remain as rentals. With the explosion in the population of students in Manhattan, particularly in our area, close to NYU, students become the prime body as potential renters--students who are will to pay the amount of rent needed by being packed into apartments with pressurized walls.
ReplyDeleteOn a completely unrelated topic but one of extreme importance to all of us, on Monday April 16 the US Supreme Court is expected to announce whether it will grant cert. (meaning hear the case) brought by a small landlord on the Upper West Side which claims that the NY rent stabilization laws are unconstitutional. Lower courts threw out the case, but to the surprise of the city and housing advocates, the Court asked for briefs defending the law in response to the brief submitted by the landlord. This means that at least some of the Justices have an interest in the issue. It takes only 4 of the 9 justices to grant cert. If cert is granted the case will be heard in the Supreme court year beginning Oct 2012 and will , of course, require a majority vote to overturn the lower court decisions and rule in favor of the landlord.
ReplyDeleteCW's disregard for the law in this matter provides a window into their corporate soul--as if we really needed one.
ReplyDeleteAnd let me add a belated "welcome back" to STR. Keep on keepin' on!
I can't help but wonder if all this packing in of students into apartments with pressurized walls is possibly a violation of the rent stabilization laws. It seems that every apartment that becomes vacant gets "renovated" and rented to students which means it is taken out of the RS stock. Also, aren't there some laws concerning how many unrelated people can be packed into one apartment? I feel sure that no matter what laws are or are not being violated, nothing will change while Bloomberg and his cronies are in office. It's like living under a corrupt dictatorship! Tammany redux!
ReplyDeleteYous aid it. Our entire floor is now students except for us. Move in / move out. They just keep coming.
ReplyDeleteYAY! I'm so psyched!
ReplyDeleteMost of the farmers at our market are also at US on Saturday. Except the lamb/pork farmer, they are new. They are all generally great--it isn't clear that it's commercial activity--it's more of a special event.
ReplyDelete>>I can't help but wonder if all this packing in of students into apartments with pressurized walls is possibly a violation of the rent stabilization laws.<<
ReplyDeleteWord is there are no pressurized walls in Stuy Town/PCV, just real walls. If you are surprised, so was I. Consider the implications.
"Word is there are no pressurized walls in Stuy Town/PCV, just real walls. If you are surprised, so was I. Consider the implications."
ReplyDeleteSTR, they lie. They lie through their rotten degenerate teeth. We see pressure wall company vans all over the property at the end of/beginning of each month. If CW and Rose are saying these are not pressure walls, then they have hit rock bottom as far as honesty and ethics are concerned and they are just LIARS. Repeat LIARS.
Here's the BEST PART: our lease renewal rent is HIGHER than new tenants for same apartment , same location. ON THEIR website (stuytown pcv rentals) they are quoting LOWER rates for same apartment, same location. Now if that's not a slap in the face.............
ReplyDeletesuch such bull__it. I can't believe what Rose and cWC get away with.
>>We see pressure wall company vans all over the property at the end of/beginning of each month.<<
ReplyDeleteI've seen them, too. Next time, I've promised to take a photo if I have my camera with me or have time to get it. If anyone else can get a photo of such a van on ST/PCV property, please send it to me at: stuytownreporter@gmail.com
>>Here's the BEST PART: our lease renewal rent is HIGHER than new tenants for same apartment , same location. ON THEIR website (stuytown pcv rentals) they are quoting LOWER rates for same apartment, same location. Now if that's not a slap in the face.<<
ReplyDeleteI agree that sucks bigtime. I'd guess the lower rate is to draw people in, the higher, renewal one, to see how much they can get for the same place.
A weekly special event that will take place for 8-9 months in the oval? Sounds very routine and unspecial to me!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a term of art, meaning, it's not commercial real estate, but rather a seasonal event. In Chicago, that's how farmers markets are classified, indeed, the markets were regulated by the Mayor's Office of Special Events. So it very well could be here as well. So the zoning rules don't really apply to these types of events.
ReplyDeleteWord is there are no pressurized walls in Stuy Town/PCV, just real walls. If you are surprised, so was I.
ReplyDeleteNo pressurized walls? Who said there were no pressurized walls? That is an utterly ridiculous statement!