Welcome to Slum Town! CWCapital's Masterful Reinvention of Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village into the Projects

With the removal of the greenery and flowers around the western part of the Oval, CWCapital has done what no other landlord dared to do: turn this place into what could easily pass as the projects. Since there are brilliant minds working for CWCapital and its management auxiliary, CompassRock, one can only assume that there is a reason for this dramatic change that those of us with lower intelligence and dimmed sensibilities cannot begin to comprehend.  Perhaps a new advertising campaign proclaiming the virtues of project living at market rate pricing. Rumors that bleacher seating will be built in this area, with a spectacular view of the lawn and Stuy Town's bikini beauties, are regretfully unfounded.

Already alerted to the changeover, Pedro Jiminez headed up this sweltering afternoon from the last remaining ethnic block in the Lower East Side with his shaved ice cart to service Stuy Town customers, but was stopped by Public Safety when they noticed his cart did not state "For Residents and Their Guests Only."

"Rules are rules," the distraught Jiminez was told firmly and escorted out of the complex.  Stuy Town residents and their guests need not worry, however. Oval Cafe will be having its own shaved ice service and, beginning in the hot month of July, King Cobra beer will be sold at the cafe.

EVENING UPDATE:

Photos taken later in the day of CWCapital's decorative reinvention of Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village into the projects:

Hmm... Could the diabolical plan be to have Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village condemned as a slum beyond repair, torn down (preceded by an evacuation of all residents), to be rebuild as massive high rises commanding extraordinary steep rents, worthy of the wealthy foreigners who are buying up apartments in the latest high rises in Manhattan?  What fiendish genius, if so!

ANOTHER CWCapital - CompassRock SHOCKER: Oval Plantings/Flowers Ripped Out and Mowed Down

What else could the Powers That Be think of to devastate the Stuy Town/PCV community?  Well, how about taking one of the core attractions of the Oval--the plantings and flowers--and ripping them out and mowing them down?  In an unbelievable and shocking and disheartening action, work crews this week have devastated the western portion of the Oval, only leaving behind (for now at least) the major trees in the area.

Why has this been done?

Several guesses, but the primary one is that CWCapital can now add to its sale prospectus the fact that there's been complete and recent landscaping done in the area.  Perhaps, too, there's the ability of a better view of the Oval from the guard booth, where Public Safety is stationed, monitoring personal text messages on their phones.  Or, just simply, after trying to make tenants homeless, CWCapital is now going after the squirrels, who, when I was there in the morning, were running around frantically, divested of much of their habitats.

I dread to think what will take the place of the uprooted flowers and greenery. Perhaps very low plants, to give the entire Oval a beach plaza look in keeping with the sunbathing going on in the Oval Lawn. And cabbage patches in the winter.

What used to give the Oval the feel of being a luxuriant oasis in Manhattan is now chiefly gone.

There it is.  The blooming flowers, the rich greenery.  ALL GONE.

Simply unbelievable and tragic.

 

 

 

Dismayed....

Just a note that I'm really dismayed after reading the latest comments on the TA Facebook.  Seems that tenants who did NOT get a mid-lease notice informing them of a rent increase are now getting a rent increase nevertheless....  [We find out now that this is probably a huge clerical error.  Boy, great accurate system in place.] Public Safety being tardy when they should have been somewhere in 10 minutes.... Bedbugs in more apartments....  A Roberts Settlement clause that prohibits a defendant from challenging tenant lawyers' fees....

At times this place seems like a nightmare, but it doesn't have to be so, if the landlord were concerned about his tenants, rather than the Almighty $.  As for the lawyers, the Almighty $ rules there, too, doesn't it?  And the people who just want to "live in health, comfort and dignity"* in a park-like community are fucked.

I just don't know how one can treat people this way and feel good afterward.  How does one sleep restfully at night and wake up in the morning looking forward to the day?  Re: These mid-lease increases.  I'm not affected by them, but it pains me considerably to see other tenants handled in such a cold, bastard way.  Absolutely despicable.

*Quote taken from a Stuy Town plaque removed from the Oval when the property was being prepped for its first sale.

Slowy But Surely....

 

Kudos to the Associated on 14 St for placing (or allowing to be placed) the yellow "A Community. Not a Commodity" sign in its window.  It looks beautiful and very colorful where it is. Can't be missed.  Wonder if there will be any "pressure" from the Powers That Be to have it taken down.

Meanwhile, several Stuy Town-PCV residents took to picketing in front of the leasing office yesterday in an endeavor that was independently scheduled from the TA activities.  As I was passing by in the late afternoon, I saw a prospective renter inside the leasing office reading one of their handouts with serious concern.  Thank you, those of you who can make it to picket.  My feeling is that this picketing can be as sustained or erratic as we like, yet a statement that we won't give up.  Large crowds are not necessary, though there should be periodic larger-size gatherings to keep the Powers That Be on their toes.

And don't forget that you, as an independent citizen, can always say something to the group of prospective renters who are being led through the complex by a leasing agent. You will be ignored, but they will hear you.

Another personal protest is to not support any of the commercial endeavors that exist within Stuy Town, like Oval Cafe and, yes, the Greenmarket.

Some news from the TA:

Mid-lease affected tenants, on Sunday, June 2nd (time to be announced), come to the leasing office for a video shooting of a documentary of your story.  Shockumentory artist, Sandy Bachom will shoot short video vignettes of tenants stories for sharing on YouTube and for sending to CW Capital and for building public awareness.

If you still want to independently turnout, and want to print your own flyers, we have posted a link to the file.  The flyer is double-sided.

http://stpcvta.org/flyers/LO_Flyer.pdf

WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR MAY 29th.

Because of the ever-increasing number of questions along these lines, the ST/PCV Tenants Association inviting tenants facing mid-lease increases to a workshop on May 29th at IS 104, between 20th and 21st Street, starting at 8:00 PM. This directly follows our members-only annual meeting.

The TA’s attorney, Tim Collins, of Collins Dobkin & Miller, will speak with Roberts tenants who want to explore their options and to answer mid-lease increase-related questions from TA members and non-members, alike. It will also give affected tenants an opportunity to meet others with the same challenges, and exchange contact information.

Seating in the IS 104 auditorium is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7:45 PM.

Town & Village Newspaper Editorial Slams CWCapital

The beginning of the Editorial:

After Tishman Speyer’s disastrous four-year reign as landlord of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village, the commonly held belief was that no one could possibly be worse for the community than that company, with its now infamous business model based around goals that were both greedy and delusional.

However, now it seems that the property’s occupying force, CWCapital, is more than willing to be known as the company that’s worse for tenants than the one that lost its investors billions and scared countless tenants out of their homes. By raising the rents at over a thousand units, in most cases by hundreds of dollars and in others more than a thousand or even two, the suits at CW make it clear that they have learned nothing from the historic mistakes of the past.

Never mind that the move is just plain cruel ― as noted by Council Member Dan Garodnick last week ― “a mid-lease rent increase of $900 is nothing less than an eviction notice” ― it is also, quite simply, bad business. By issuing these steep increases on such short notice (the extension of one additional month for tenants to decide whether to stay or go is still short notice), CW has essentially said it doesn’t care whether their tenants stay or go.

Read further at the Town & Village blog:

http://town-village.com/2013/05/24/editorial-rent-hikes-are-a-bad-business-move/

CWCapital/CompassRock Employs "Burma Shave" Concept to Push Rentals INSIDE Stuy Town

Here's a little Americana for you.  In ye olde days, roughly from the 1920s to the 1950s, Burma-Shave used an interesting ad concept to promote its brand: a series of five low signs, spaced apart on a road, whose last sign would be the name of the company.  The four preceding signs were usually part of a quirky home-spun type poem, usually humorous in nature.  It was a great idea--one that obviously distracted motorists from the road, much like texting is doing these days.

Well, the PR/advertising firm for CWCapital/CompassRock is now using a somewhat similar concept in an attempt to push rentals in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village.  The series of signs starts off on the perimeter of the complex, seen by anyone walking by, with "Move into More"....

Now the natural question would be: "Move into more...what?"

If you proceed into Stuy Town and walk around the Oval, you will get your answer:

Curiously, this series around the Oval is, like Burma-Shave, made of five signs, unless I'm missing one or two. (I believe there's a "More Space" being used in online/print ads.)

The telling point is that the pitch for rentals is happening inside Stuy Town.  The Powers that Be are using the public access feature of the complex, and the disregard of "For Residents and Their Guests Only" events and Oval Cafe, to address outsiders who come here for use of the Oval.  They may as well paint a yellow brick road from all entry points that lead to the Emerald City--the Oval.

IT'S NOW OR NEVER -- HIT CW CAPITAL IN THE ONLY PLACE IT KNOWS -- ITS POCKET

This is it, folks.  If we as a community (that's already been ravaged enough through these past years), can't stand up now and join together to stop the excess greed of our landlords, the displacement of the true middle class and families in ST-PCV, and the eradication of AFFORDABLE HOUSING in what was a bastion and pride of this city for affordable housing, then that's it for us.

Just in from the Tenants Association (see below).  And please join the Tenants Association if you haven't already.  Only in unity can there be any strength.  Link to main TA page is here.

Hit CW Capital where it hurts -- at the Leasing Office

Are you angry and fed up with CW Capital?
Let prospective renters know -- at the Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper Village Leasing Office -- how you feel about what living here has become and why they should talk to residents before they sign a lease.

Tell them about:

• Staggering mid-term rent increase
•  Slugging your laundry blocks away because laundry rooms are inoperable
• Unreliable elevator service  -- months after Sandy
• Your personal belongings rotting in a shipping container for six months
• Tepid enforcement of the quality-of-life rules
• Noisy, disrespectful neighbors
• Worrying your next maintenance visit might become a security issue

 Prospective renters should hear you.
CW Capital should hear you.
All neighbors, new or tenured, young or old, need to stand together and support this action.  Losing good neighbors means less stability and quality-of-life for all of us.
We'll start this Saturday and Sunday and if enough neighbors respond to our call for weekday shifts, we'll have those, too.
Each 1-2 hour shift will promote our message of what it's really like to live here.
We'll do that by displaying hand written posters, distributing flyers to prospective renters and talking with them in front of the rental office.

•  We'll tell them about CW Capital's family-busting rent increases. 
• We'll also make sure prospective renters know about our noisy and inconsiderate neighbors and management's minimal enforcement of its quality-of-life rules.
• About the recent burglaries and the need to remember to lock up valuables and be present for service appointments.
• Show them how to check the TA's Bedbug Registry
• Make sure they know of the legal requirement that leasing agents must disclose which buildings have been infested with bedbugs in the past year.
• We'll tell them which 17 buildings have rotting basements and no laundry rooms and of managements providing no schedule for resolving building-wide problems.
• Make sure they understand there is (wink wink) an 80% carpet rule.
• And best of all, we'll give them homework!  We'll ask them to read the blogs such as Stuytown Report, EscapeStuyTown, Town and Village Newspaper and the TA Facebook and our Official page.

Working together, we can sustain this action for a long time.

• Retirees and night workers can help on weekdays.
• Loving grandparents can help watch young ones while moms and dads take a shift.

Can't make a full shift?   Stop by and support your neighbors.  Bring them water or just a smile and a thank-you.
Find out what else you can do.

• Send CW Capital a Video Message.
• Contribute your legal expertise.
• Help to get our message out via Social Media.
• Post flyers in your building.
• Make a donation

Register below to learn more, join a shift, or do something else

Registration link here.

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May 17, 3:10pm Update:

CW Capital Sneaks Prospective New Renters In and Out the Back Door  

On the TA Facebook page we get this inside look at an email blast to brokers:

"Please note that in light of the recent headlines concerning the property, we anticipate a gathering of displeased tenants outside of the Leasing Office this weekend. In order to ensure a positive customer experience, the leasing staff will be prepared to greet you and your clients at the back entrance area of the Leasing office (off of the First Avenue loop by 16th street). We apologize for the inconvenience and expect this to be a very short-term issue."

Cowards. 

May 17, 6:45pm Update:

Know your rights. The TA posted the following on its Facebook page.  I would add to this that if Public Security goes against what's below, try to get the name of the officer(s) and a description if no name is provided.

The TA: Let's keep it peaceful and respectful. Keep walkways and entrances clear. Bring your Resident IDs and a DL or State ID card as back up.

The New York State Real Property Law § 230: Right of tenants to form, join or participate in tenants' groups:

1. No landlord shall interfere with the right of a tenant to form, join or participate in the lawful activities of any group, committee or other organization formed to protect the rights of tenants; nor shall any landlord harass, punish, penalize, diminish, or withhold any right, benefit or privilege of a tenant under his tenancy for exercising such right.

2. Tenants' groups, committees or other tenants' organizations shall have the right to meet without being required to pay a fee in any location on the premises including a community or social room where use is normally subject to a fee which is devoted to the common use of all tenants in a peaceful manner, at reasonable hours and without obstructing access to the premises or facilities. No landlord shall deny such right.

May 17, 10:27pm Update:

ANOTHER SHOCKER: CW CAPITAL FINAL F.U. TO ROBERTS SETTLEMENT TENANTS

This says it all.  A drop box in front of Oval Concierge. I guess the Powers That Be don't want to see any affected tenant inside any office.  The attitude is "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."  Indeed, it does now seem like the raising of rents on these tenants was an eviction notice. 

May 18, 12:15pm Update:

Volunteers have been covering front and back of Leasing Office, handing out flyers to potential renters and yellow "community not a commodity" signs to tenants.  Many, if not all of the potential renters are young student-age people who seem either indifferent or bewildered, but some are taking the flyers offered to them.  Without doubt, however, an impression is being made, so congratulations to the volunteers.

We definitely need to see more yellow "community not a commodity" signs in windows. A huge problem is that, as peculiar as it may seem, many tenants are not aware of the protests and the signs, and an effort must be made to make tenants aware. Do not become discouraged when you walk about the complex and see only one or two signs per building, if that.  This is going to take some time to put into effect.  I spoke to a tenant whose rent had just gone up $400, and she was unaware of the window signs, and took one immediately after she was informed about it.  It's important to remember that many tenants do not read any of the Stuy Town blogs or Facebooks.  We have to "walk the beat" and hand out these signs.  (The signs are available in front of the Leasing Office during protest hours.)

We also must not forget that CW Capital is counting on our effort dying out as the days, weeks go by.  This is why the company stated to brokers in an email that any disruption will be "short-term."  Let's make sure we make it long term.  Keep up the spirit and the fight, and don't back down.  And thank you for whatever you may do toward this effort.

 May 19, 8:17am:

We are, of course, part of a bigger battle: affordable housing in Manhattan. And the bigger battle is being lost, with our politicians (mayor, city council) making the way for "luxury towers" being built all over Manhattan at the expense of affordable housing. Today's NY Times provides info on this pattern:

Sky High and Going Up Fast: Luxury Towers Take New York

 May 19, 11:39am:

Spoke to one of the volunteers positioned at the back of the leasing office, and she had a splendid idea.  If one can't get the pre-printed ST-PCV yellow sign to place in one's window (they were not handing them out today in front of the leasing office due to the rainy weather), then place any yellow substitute paper instead. This can be construction paper, whatever.  You don't even have to write anything on this paper. The yellow papers/signs are instantly noticeable in windows.  I'm still seeing some white papers in windows, but you really have to strain to make them out when there's a white blind drawn.

Another tactic: If you see a group of potential renters walking with a leasing agent, you can inform them of what's happening in the complex as they pass by. You will be ignored but your message will be heard. Ask them to please read up about what's happening in Stuy Town, how rents have been raised mid-lease on many tenants, how leasing agents assured tenants that this wouldn't happen, etc. Mention that they should check the bedbug registry to inform themselves of the possible bedbug history of their building. Again, you will be ignored but they will hear you. I make a point of now walking past the back exit of the leasing office in hopes of coming across such groups.  And I have.

 May 20, 8:46pm:

IMPORTANT

From the TA FACEBOOK: MID-LEASE RENT INCREASES: If you have received notice of a mid-lease rent increase and you recall a leasing office agent representing to you to get you to sign a lease, either verbally or in writing that you would not have to worry about such increase taking effect, please send a direct message to Peter Stuyvesant. Please include your contact information (phone and email) so we can gather the details for forwarding to the NYS Attorney General.

"Peter Stuyvesant"can be reached on the TA Facebook page, which all are urged to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/358760671689/

Prospective New Renters Heading to the ST-PCV Leasing Office

Having been informed by leasing agents of the mass vacancies that will result in the coming two months from the Roberts Settlement Massacre, and made aware of the anything-goes atmosphere of ST-PCV and the fun activities at Playground 10, a battalion of new renters head into Manhattan to visit the Stuy Town-Peter Cooper Village leasing office on 1st Avenue.

Ladies and gentlemen, your new neighbors!

Stuy Town Lollipop Battles

 

Inspired by the Lolita poster art for the Spring Circus Carnival, Stuy Town's own adult emporium, PLAYGROUND 10, will be holding "Stuy Town Lollipop Battles" Friday evenings, beginning at 8pm, May 28th. All resident college-age sluts bikini beauties are urged to participate. Prizes include one-year of non-compliance with management's carpet rule and a free pair of Stiletto High Heel Shoes from HowCool.com.

NYU student Stacey Stankowiczkowa sent us this photo of her in serious training for the competition.

The event is for Residents and Their Guests only.

Hey, Residents! Don't Forget Our Spring "Circus" Carnival is THIS Sunday!

We've been hearing that some of you are really down in the dumps after receiving notices of a dramatic rent increase, mid-lease. Well, the best way to deal with the blues is to laugh and dance, so don't forget that just around the corner we have our Spring Circus Carnival! That's right, this is one amenity event that we are really proud of, one which is sure to take your mind off making the decision whether you and your family can continue to live here, or whether you will have to seek new digs someplace in Manhattan...or Queens...or maybe New Jersey.  Please note: The Oval will be fully protected by the largest assembly of Public Safety officers we can muster, so that malcontents will not feel free to disrupt our festivities.

And how about making some money with our tenant referral program, money you may need if you intend to stay here.  More friends in your building...or maybe more friends occupying your apartment.  A win-win situation, unlike what your lawyers got you into.

The Spring Circus Carnival, which is suppose to introduce the spring season, is happening closer to the summer than the spring, a hallmark of our expertise in scheduling.  And, of course, the carnival is for residents and their guests only.  But you knew that, so next time we will see no point in mentioning it.  (Psst.. a secret between us: we never check anyway, so come on down wherever you are!)

If you want to contact us for any reason (except to complain), please give us a call at: (888) 767-3175. I've no idea what department you will get, but, hey, we've always been kinda screwy around here. Haven't you noticed?

Oh, and we urge all our residents not to post on the TA Facebook or blogs like the Stuy Town Report or Escape Stuy Town or the Town &Village Facebook page.  There's just a lot of complaining there and nothing else. The best place to post is at our official Peter Cooper Villiage / Stuyvesant Town Facebook page. We are always positive and cheery, and offer interesting good recipes and fashion tips once in a while.

----------------

May 19th UPDATE:  Sorry, residents, it rained on our carnival so we canceled it.  We'll let you know when it's going to be rescheduled.  Possibly the first weekend of the summer so that we can really ring in the spring season!!!  For those of you who are down in the dumps about a mid-lease rent increase and hoping that today's carnival would brighten up your day, don't forget that Zeichner Wine & Liquor store on 1st Ave can ease some of your trauma. Conveniently located right across from Stuy Town's Leasing Office.

The Press Conference & Rally

Memories....

From a few months back:

http://www.garodnick.com/press-release/message-council-member-garodnick-final-roberts-settlement

Message from Council Member Garodnick on Final Roberts Settlement!

I wanted to share the news that Justice Lowe today signed the final settlement in the Roberts v. Tishman Speyer case.  This is a historic moment for the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village community, and for all rent stabilized residents who were unfairly overcharged by landlords receiving J-51 tax abatements across the City.

This case has always been about protecting the integrity of the rent stabilization system. The victory in Roberts sends a clear message that the rent stabilization law cannot and will not be circumvented.  It is fitting that the case originated in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, a community ravaged by the excesses of the housing boom that fought back.  The impact of this case has been felt far and wide—from the 21,250 members of the class, of which I am one, to residents in all J-51 buildings citywide.  It was through the persistence and courage of our neighbors that many tenants around the City have been able to clarify their rights under the law, and for that, I am extremely proud.

The settlement delivers $68.75 million in direct payments to tenants who were overcharged for rent between January 22, 2003 and December 31, 2011 and $105 million in rent savings during the time since the Roberts case was won, when rents were rolled back as part of an "interim agreement."   It also re-establishes all of the units in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village as rent stabilized, and sets their legal rents. (For more detail on the settlement, read my plain language guide to the settlement here.)

It is our hope that the final settlement, to which there were no objectors, will present a new opportunity for CW Capital to now embrace the plan put forth by the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association to ensure the long term affordability and stability in our neighborhood.

I want to thank the attorneys at Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz and Bernstein Liebhard who worked on this case for their persistence, advocacy and hard work, and the tenants who lent their names to this class action lawsuit for their courage.

I encourage all class members to file their claims by the May 15 deadline.   For more information on the claims process, please visit Berdon Claims' website at www.berdonclaims.com or call 800-766-3330.

Best, 

Dan Garodnick 

Protest Meeting Today, Wednesday 10am, in front of ST/PCV Rental Office

Join tenant and elected leaders, May 15th, Wednesday at 10am in front of the ST/PCV rental office regarding the dramatic and sudden rent increase many of our neighbors will face June 1st.   Please assemble at 9:45am.

-------------

More from the TA:

Roberts Tenant or Not, Join our Press Conference and Rally Today at 10am

  

-- CW rains pain upon unsuspecting families and neighbors.  Raises rents on hundreds of apartments with just two weeks notice. --  

It is time to go public with CW's abuse of power. We'll be doing just that today at 10:00am.

Many Roberts tenants -- about at least 1,000 individuals -- got an unwelcome notice under their doors yesterday indicating that they are receiving a mid-lease rent increase -- in some cases thousands of dollars per month.  Although CW Capital is exercising its prerogative to increase rents under the terms of the Roberts Settlement, the move is despicable, to say the least.

To focus press and public attention on this newest predatory move against affordability in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, the Tenants Association and City Councilman Dan Garodnick along with other elected representatives are holding a press conference at 10:00am in front of the Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper Village Leasing Office, located at First Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets.

If you received the notice under the door today, you are a member of the Roberts class and your blood should be boiling enough to make certain at least one family member or roommate gets to the press conference at 10:00am to let the world know you're angry.  If you're not part of Roberts, you don't need anyone to tell you this is just the latest assault on the affordability and stability of a community we all need to join in protecting.

This affects all tenants of our community: this is a crude and callous act by CW Capital to cut through the heart of our community.  Two weeks notice on substantial rent increases is simply outrageous and is nothing short of heartless: this action was clearly planned well in advance, but CW Capital deliberately chose to give tenants just two weeks notice of their rental increases. 

We need to show solidarity for our community - a community of tenants that CW Capital is trying to tear apart.

Please try to join us for a serious show of strength:  10:00am, Wednesday, May 15, Stuyvesant Town Leasing Office 

Rent Shocker for Roberts Settlement Tenants

Judging by comments on today's TA Facebook page, tenants who were part of the Roberts settlement are getting quite a shock with the new rent bills they are receiving.  It seems that one of the agreements in the settlement accepted the right of the landlord, CWCapital, to raise rents in the middle of a lease, and that is precisely what the landlord, showing complete disdain for its market-rate paying tenants, is doing, from hundreds of dollars to over a thousand!  Anyway this is clearly an outrage, but one that the lawyers on both sides were aware of and signed onto. That the lawyers on the side of the tenants agreed to this is bewildering, frustrating and surely infuriating.

Couples and families are now faced with the near immediate prospect of paying a higher rent next month, in some case $1,000 and more, or moving out, while paying the higher rent until they find another place to reside.

Councilman Dan Garodnick is quoted as saying: "CW Capital has the right to raise rents in the middle of the lease term once this settlement is final. While this may become their legal right, any effort to raise rents on residents during their current leases will be met with sure and certain opposition from the entire community, the local elected officials, and the broader community of tenant activists."

What? Garodnick, a lawyer himself, didn't see this coming???  A lot of us non-lawyers on the sidelines predicted that the Roberts settlement was going to be a win-win for the lawyers and, ultimately, for CWCapital.

A tenant lawyer on the Roberts case pours salt on the wound with this comment:  "Because the notices of increase are based on the terms of the class members' leases we cannot provide advice on the issue as part of the Roberts case. Instead, class members should contact CW's leasing office directly regarding these notices. We have been informed that CW has set up a hotline for any questions regarding the notices, 212-253-3670."

UPDATE: Even though I have serious concerns about how some newer market-rate paying tenants consider the old timers here ("leeches" who aren't paying their "fair share"), I think all of us should stand together and voice our strong displeasure and anger at the outrageous raising of rents mid-lease.  Some rents are being hiked up over $1000!

The TA is asking the people affected to contact it via its Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/358760671689/

While the Town & Village newspaper is requesting similar contact on its page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Town-Village/146960575361947

or by calling T&V at (212) 777-6611 x104

THE TIME HAS COME TO MAKE SOME SERIOUS NOISE!!!

Amazing....

This is what some dog owners think of the signs here. Spotted this morning, about 9:30am. Her dog hovers around the no dog signs (I think the dog pissed on one of them, but I was too far away to take a shot), and then little Fido takes a sweet little dump inside the dog-restricted greenmarket area.  I don't even know why I'm blurring the face. If Public Safety wants it, I have clear and larger photos.

 

New Events Announced for Playground 10

CompassRock certainly doesn't waste time getting in on a good thing.  Just announced are two events for Playground 10.

June 1: "Champagne Facials"



June 8: "Stuy Town Oozinator Battles"



Both events are for residents and their guests only.

Pick Up Your (Possibly) Toxic Trunk Items from the Bronx, May 6th to June 4th.

I wanted to post this much earlier, but was distracted by Stuy Town's bikini beauties....

Below is the Compass Rock notice dealing with tenant retrieval of items in trunks that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.  These items, which were housed in those huge containers throughout Peter Cooper Village, can now be picked up...in the Bronx, at 1661 Boone Ave at the corner of 173 St.  Yeah, you're going to have to get your ass over to the Bronx and may not even be able to depart with the items you want or are looking for.  One has to wonder.  If these items were so potentially toxic, what the hell were they doing in PCV containers for so long!  I remember passing through PCV after they were put in place and smelling something rancid even then.  Your trunk, if they find it, will be retrieved in the Bronx location by "a trained staff member wearing protective gear."  You will not be able to take the trunk back with you, just items from the trunk.  You will also be issued NY State Department of Health guidelines "concerning handling materials impacted by Hurricane Sandy."  Compass Rock advises residents that if they "elect to touch and/or retrieve their property," they "will do so at their own risk."

Sounds like a fun outing, doesn't it? Make sure you come back alive.

Oh, yes, there is going to be transportation provided at certain times. ID, etc, will be necessary. Of interest is that the damaged trunks were not just in Peter Cooper Village, but Stuy Town as well.

Click on scanned page to get larger.