Well, we knew it all along. The promotion of events in Stuyvesant Town extends beyond the residents (and their guests) who live here.
Remarkably, whoever wrote the text for the Welcome page of the official web presence of PCVST, basically admitted this with the line: "From the many social events, seasonal greenmarket and ice rink, live music and movies, Stuyvesant Town is a New York destination." Yes, "a New York destination." So come on in all you New Yorkers. And welcome!!!
Much of the rest of the text is laughable bull, given the reality of true "luxury living" in Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village. (Are the basements in PCV all fixed, btw?) The Oval is described as an "ideal place to picnic and lounge with friends and neighbors while enjoying some of the best entertainment and activities in Manhattan." Really? The "best entertainment and activities" are here, at the Oval? I guess watching a baseball game on a blow-up screen with poor resolution and lighting is considered the tops in entertainment amenities here, but I'd think New Yorkers are more savvy than to consider this anything but a low-class, cheap "amenity." Even residents are more savvy, as these ludicrous entertainment activities rarely exceed an audience of fifty, if that.
Of course, it's stressed that PCVST is pet-friendly, which brings in dog-owners, but is a red flag to those who do not want to live in a community with an abundance of dogs and dog refuse and barking. So expect more dog-owners to arrive here and less non-dog-owners.
PCVST is also considered by the writer "one of Manhattan's most desirable communities," which goes against the persistent, never-ending attempt to get residents to sign up friends for bonus fees starting at $500. If it's so desirable, why the need for this program?
I couldn't help but laugh at the parenthetical mention of "wine refrigerators," an obvious hoped-for seduction to the same breed that will spend $6 for a cup of burnt coffee at Starbucks and consider their lifestyle upscale because of that. Go to Lenz's or McDonald's for your coffee, you yunnies. Save your parents at least five bucks a day! They worked hard for it!
Meanwhile, at PCVST's official Facebook page, the commentary continually reveals the truth about living here and dealing with the powers-that-be....
I still can't tell if STPCV will be put up for sale, but from past experience I know that as prominent as the complex is in our area, many New Yorkers haven't even heard of it. So the idea of promoting the place as a destination and starting to show it off may be a way of preparing for a sale. On the other hand, it could just be a way of gaining new rentals.
ReplyDeleteDespite assurances from management that PCV basements would be completely repaired by September (which itself was a ridiculously long time since Sandy) most, if not all ,of the basements that were flooded by Sandy almost ONE YEAR AGO remain unfinished. That means crappy, miniscule washers and dryers, no storage or bike room and the continued dumping of garbage in recycling bins "cleverly" located outside the front doors of our luxury buildings.
ReplyDeleteIt should read "Inconveniently located near nothing, Gramercy Park's armpit is a must-vomit experience for Dudes, Bros and shrieking OMG Girls!"
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's such a destination that our own management company is off site. Enough said.
Pretty pathetic, really. ST used to sell itself before it ceased to be a community and became a [not]luxury/dorm/transient/flophouse/frathouse.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, nice big turd in from of 16 pig Stuy Oval this afternoon. T level. Thanks, dog owner.
ReplyDeleteOf course it's laughable, it's RE ad copy. Those leeches would call a rat-infested cellar "charming"! I mean, you'd really have to have fallen right off the turnip truck if you fall for that dreck.
ReplyDeleteStuy Town, a destination? Maybe for some thugs from the Riis Houses, lookin' to get paid!
If we're gonna have all these non-residents strolling around, maybe we could help them out by creating a little additional signage, since it's so easy to get lost. Maybe something like "This way to the rape forest!", or "Knifepoint robbery over there", or "Lots of yummy black mold, right here!"
Does CW have to sell this property? Is there a deadline? And what ever happened to "Time For You To Move On CW Capital"? Weren't we going to go directly to the bondholders? I'm eternally grateful for this blog because without it there would be no place to ask these questions or get information regarding the fate of this property.
ReplyDeleteLook at the horror stories - and I mean HORROR stories - on the TA FB page about what they are doing to people re: lease renewals, new rentals, etc. They are screwing people left, right and center! These people are either crooks of the worst kind or they are so incompetent that they should be relived of their "stewardship" of the property. What they are doing is just plain criminal. I wish to God that the 60 Minutes team would descend on them. Anybody got any "in" with CBS and 60 Minutes? Compass Rock is about as honest as Bernie Madoff and how the hell they get away with it is just beyond comprehension. I am spreading the word far and wide that this place is a MUST TO AVOID because of incompetent, corrupt and downright illegal practices employed by this so-called "Management." Some of these people in the Leasing Office belong in jail. I hope that Dan Garodnick and Bill DeBlasio are reading this because Compass Rock and CW are a very, very malignant cancer that is being allowed to get away with eating away at this property and the people who are paying through the nose to live here. Buyer Beware warnings should be posted on every site where they advertise their false material. Apart from being seriously photoshopped, their bait and switch practices are totally illegal and immoral.
ReplyDeleteThe most cringeworthy copy I've read in a while. The person who wrote it should fired immediately.
ReplyDeleteOne of the 4 suits you saw strolling the property, pointing, and saying "Retail," was Andy McCain. He's Andrew McArthur's right hand man. He was also at the lie festival that was the "meeting" and "Q & A" for 300, 280, 272, 274, 276, and 278 First Avenues the other night. All of those buildings will be losing their backyard: management will be excavating to expand their offices behind Oval Concierge. The sheer number of lies told at that meeting was actually shocking.
ReplyDeleteBelow is a recent post on Yelp regarding a resident's experience in Stuytown. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
ReplyDeleteFrom Kerri S. posted on Yelp:
"I would give the place negative stars if I could. When my husband and I moved in several years ago, it was a very friendly place and we loved the park-like feel. But something changed dramatically recently and there is a constant police presence on the grounds. Most notably, they went from being a dog friendly place to fencing up all of the luscious grass that residents and pets liked to sprawl out on. But last night topped it all. I have a five month old deaf puppy who was riled up by the storms during the day. I brought him to a fenced in grassy area in the complex to let him run around for less than 3 minutes to get some energy out. I then walked him all around the complex grounds for at least another 20 minutes. Some time after getting home, there was a knock at the apartment door and I was issued a $200 ticket for having him off leash in the grassy area. Apparently the StuyTown police saw him on the grass on an outdoor security camera then proceeded to follow us via security cameras throughout the rest of our walk and into our building where they then picked us up again in the elevator camera. From there they figured out where we live and brought the fine over. This is such a huge violation! I realize I deserve a slap on the wrist for allowing him off lease, but what authority do they have to issue fines to residents?! And the stalking? Unacceptable. DO NOT MOVE IN TO THIS PLACE!"
On airbnb, some Stuy Town and PCV apartments are in Kips Bay!
ReplyDelete>>All of those buildings will be losing their backyard: management will be excavating to expand their offices behind Oval Concierge.<<
ReplyDeletePlease don't tell me that CWCapital is considering removing a portion of the grounds close to the playground in that area.
Stuyvesant Town is the Devils Playground. It's not a home any more. It's a property for Andrew MacArthur to wring dry of cash from tenants and a place for college kids to terrorize families for 12 months. DO NOT MOVE HERE!
ReplyDeleteOK STR, I won't tell you that. But they are.
ReplyDeleteDoes CW have the right to make such drastic alterations to the property (such as demolishing backyards to put up commercial crap?) They don't actually OWN it. They are supposed to be running it (not into the ground as they are) until a purchaser can be found. Or have I got that wrong? I thought they were custodians or stewards until a real owner took over. No?
ReplyDeleteLittle by little CW Capital & their incompetent handmaiden, Compass Rock, are destroying the soul of this place and the souls of everyone who cares who lives here. I hope that with DeBlasio as mayor, they can somehow be made to leave. No one seems to know how long they can stay here, legally. It appears that they can stay indefinitely. And since they earn many hundreds of thousands of dollars a month -- millions of dollars every year -- to oversee this place, why would they volunteer to leave?!
ReplyDeleteIt's very disheartening to learn that a "backyard" for tenants may disappear, at least in part, to accommodate the extension of office space. 1) It's a crime against the park-like environment of Stuy Town and 2) it's going to be a living hell for the tenants who live there who will have to put up with continual abrasive and loud noise, even probably on Saturdays. I remember when Tishman-Speyer was installing the amenity spaces, work was even being done on Sunday, because things were behind schedule. This type of construction work is cruel and heartless to the tenants who live around it. The tenants should at least get a rent discount during this time. The decent thing to do.
ReplyDeleteManagement to tenants: IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, LEAVE.
ReplyDeleteBefore rumor and speculation starts to run rampant.
ReplyDeleteWe live in one of the buildings affected by the expansion of Oval Concierge to accommodate a new underground mgmt office. All of the residents of the affected buildings were invited by the TA to attend. (I know because I was one of the people who put the TA meeting announcement flyers under doors). Sadly, few people showed up. The audience was mostly made up of TA board members and former board members. I'm sure the guy from mgmt will pass that along.
About the meeting. Plans are still being reviewed by the DOB. I'm not exactly looking forward to having the roof of the new mgmt office sticking up out of my backyard, but the problem is that most of the rest of the property lies in the flood zone, so realistically there are limited options post-Sandy. Judging by the TA Facebook page, having operations off-site isn't working out so well. So I'm resigned to it.
The project mgr assured us that after all is done the playground and the path nearest it will remain intact. A grass-covered roof with skylights will extend from 276 towards First Ave and will end where the cobblestone median is now.
Hopefully the thing will go smoothly. And construction hours better follow NYC noise regs.
Someone at the meeting asked about a rent reduction for those units affected by the disruption. She was told by the TA that there's no legal basis for it. CW's reps basically said that no rent reduction was going to happen.
ReplyDeleteSome time after getting home, there was a knock at the apartment door and I was issued a $200 ticket for having him off leash in the grassy area.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding job by security. She knew the rules yet violated them and was disturbed that she got a fine instead of a slap on the wrist. Too bad, good riddance. Take the other dog owners with you.
The person from the meeting again to address STR at 2:46 PM
ReplyDeleteRegarding your point number 1. The landlord is committing no "crime" by building the underground mgmt office behind Oval Concierge. As I reported earlier, plans for it are currently under review by the DOB.
About number 2. The subject of a rent discount was brought up at the meeting and shot down. It may be the decent thing to do but state law does not require the landlord to compensate for construction disruption.
Where is the TA on all of these issues?
ReplyDeleteWhen I mentioned "crime" I didn't intend it to be taken as a crime on the books that would be legally punishable. I meant "crime" in the moral sense. And I also realize that CWCapital is not obliged to offer any rent reduction for the tenants who will be terrorized by the continual construction going on. And, yes, the tenants will be terrorized.
ReplyDeleteIf we had a benevolent landlord, things would be different. But this landlord, as the previous one, doesn't give a fuck about tenants, except as disposable dollar signs.
PCVST is certainly a destination in New York City. A destination if you want to be ripped off, treated like dirt and robbed and swindled. The leasing office people talk up a good talk, just like used car salesman who want to sell you a piece of junk that will conk out and probably kill you when you are half a mile down the road. I feel sorry for the folks who pay big bucks to live here only to turn round and find out that they've been taken for the proverbial ride. It makes me embarrassed to be a New Yorker, knowing what I know about this place and the outright blatant lies and bait-and-switch deception that the Leasing Office manages to get away with. I really think that the AG, Dept. of Consumer Affairs and DHCR should take a close look at the shady practices of these leeches. And before anybody from the TAFB jumps in to say "what have you done" I can say that I have written to these agencies, but it takes a concerted, organized effort to get through to them. One voice in the wilderness is instantly dismissed. The TA and our so-called representative in the City Council need to start some kind of action that we could all sign on to. I'll be there if that ever happens.
ReplyDeleteSTR
ReplyDeleteMe again, from the meeting. I wholeheartedly agree with your last paragraph. CW Capitol is insidious, evil, and not to be trusted. But we have to pick our battles carefully.
I am thrilled that Kerri S. got what was coming to her. She doesn't understand why the fences are there (to protect the new plantings) and she doesn't understand why she needs to respect anything that displeases her. Maybe she should have thought about her dog's needs before getting it. Getting a fine is not a violation of anything, and Kerri S. clearly does not know that PS is empowered to issue fines. I bet she'd be happy about the security cameras if they were used to track an intruder in her building or some other evil-doer on the property. Self-involved, self-absorbed, and just plain selfish through and through.
ReplyDelete>>All of those buildings will be losing their backyard: management will be excavating to expand their offices behind Oval Concierge.<<
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your regrets of losing the quiet bucolic green space over there ... Many of us "lost our front yard" when Playground 10 was turned into a commercial enterprise seasonal soccer field/seasonal ice rink with the soundtrack of hockey clinics 7 days a week smashing pucks into the walls and screaming parents. And in the months hockey isn't happening the development of the same PG 10 brings in paid business ($300 per toddler/child) with coaches screaming 7 days a week at toddlers and cheering parents in soccer clinics. Perhaps your "backyard" with its grassy sky lights will be quieter than we have it over here. Sorry for your loss.Welcome to the continuing development of Stuyvesant Town's previous common areas ....
Kerry S's story of being stalked and followed by ST surveillance is horrific. And shows horrible priorities on the part of Public Safety. Where are the violations and monitoring of drunkards, gangs of 8, 10, 12 wandering around weekends in the wee hours screeching vomiting and waking up the community with their walking dead from the East Village pubs. Kerry S was fined $200 and FOLLOWED on camera and through electronic monitoring for a victimless violation whereby hundreds of residents have their quiet enjoyment of their homes violated with no repercussions of the violators. This is the Twilight Zone.
ReplyDeleteBetter call Saul!
ReplyDelete"Better call Saul!"
ReplyDeleteWho is Saul?
"Kerry S's story of being stalked and followed by ST surveillance is horrific. And shows horrible priorities on the part of Public Safety. Where are the violations and monitoring of drunkards, gangs of 8, 10, 12 wandering around weekends in the wee hours screeching vomiting and waking up the community with their walking dead from the East Village pubs. Kerry S was fined $200 and FOLLOWED on camera and through electronic monitoring for a victimless violation whereby hundreds of residents have their quiet enjoyment of their homes violated with no repercussions of the violators. This is the Twilight Zone."
ReplyDeleteOne of the Best Posts Ever! While I don't condone Ms. S for letting her pooch go on the fenced off areas, I do agree that Public Safety (what a joke) would, if they had an ounce of TESTOSTERONE among them, go after the rowdy, drunk bastards and whores who proliferate on the property and wake us real working folk up at 4 am with their drunken carousing and hooting. I suspect, though, that our fascist "management" has told them to lay off the drunken shits and go after high-rent-paying tenants instead so that they can get more and more turnover and blood money out of us. Public Safety is not on our side any more. Let us keep that in mind.
Rikers Island is also a New York Destination.
ReplyDelete