Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Councilman Dan Garodnick Finally Moves

Should you need evidence that this blog and its commentary are read by people "in a position of authority," you now have the latest from our councilman Dan Garodnick, who finally addresses the concerns that tenants have had about the construction of the new management office.  Do note that these concerns were either not allowed or mitigated on the TA Facebook page, and where a recent post was removed that offered a link to photos of an artistic rendering of the completed project.

Unfortunately, those reviewing this blog have missed the fact that the blog has already posted a diagram and a visual representation of the forthcoming management office. Or perhaps they have seen them, but just don't want it known that they have seen them here.

Here is Dan's message to tenants:

Dear Friend,

After Hurricane Sandy flooded the Peter Cooper/ Stuyvesant Town management offices at 317 Avenue C, CompassRock decided to move them to a more central location on the property. In case it escaped your notice, construction of the new space has begun in the area behind 272-278 First Avenue, and abutting Playground 8. This is the space that Oval Concierge previously occupied. While a more convenient management office situated outside of a flood zone could be welcome, too little information has been provided to residents about the plans.

Last October, the Tenants Association held a preliminary meeting with management and affected residents to discuss what was being planned. Many important questions were asked, and there are still outstanding questions despite the fact that work started at the site this week.

Residents deserve a clear picture of what the site will look like when complete, and its effects on the open space. Those in the affected buildings should be afforded real accommodations during the construction work, including a rent abatement. They further need to understand how management will address noise and environmental concerns. With that in mind, I sent a letter to management last week, co-signed by Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, asking them to address the many outstanding issues and to host a meeting directly with residents to address their concerns. You can read the letter here.

I also have asked the Department of Buildings to perform a prompt audit of the site and the plans to ensure compliance with all applicable rules.

Residents deserve clarity on this project, and management needs to do much more to accommodate the people who live in surrounding buildings.

Sincerely,

Dan


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And here is a PDF of the letter Dan, State Senator Brad Hoylman and State Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh have sent to CWCapital.

If we go by past experience, CWCapital may throw a bone or two in response, but otherwise it's going to be business as usual. Do note that this blog has been continually proposing a rent abatement to tenants that live in any area affected by the noise and disruption of construction. This should be demanded of the special servicer by local politicians and the Tenants Association, and persistently, even naggingly, brought up. This blog has also promoted transparency in the construction that CWCapital is engaging in and will be engaging in. CWCapital's insistence on a secretive "need to know" position is insulting to the residents that live in PCVST and who are, and will be, affected most by any construction.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

That letter will be abut as effective as the one I once wrote to the IRS telling them that I didn't want to belong to their club and that they should cancel my subscription. Kidding (about the IRS).

Anonymous said...

STR you deserve all the credit for letting us all know what is going on when the Tenant Association did nothing to let us know and everything to cover up what is actually going on.

Dan definitely knows more than he is admitting. Nice letter Dan pretending to be finding out what is going on for the tenants. Push came to shove and you had to do something.

I heard the tenants protested to the Department of Buildings again today. Anyone know what happened?

Stuy Town Reporter said...

A lot of the credit belongs to the person or persons who pushed on this behind the scenes. I actually delayed on it for a while because I was so busy with other matters.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Of course, it's good that Dan has finally caught up.

Anonymous said...

The damage is done and now Dan wants to swoop in in his cape and demand an audit of what happened! More like to ho help in the cover up.

Anonymous said...

STR YOU TEASE THE HEADLING IS MISLEADING THOUGHT YOU MEAND DAN GARDOCKINCIKC MOVED TO THE SAME CUSH RANCH SEAN SULIVAN GOLDEN PARACHUTED ONTO ONE COULD ONLY HOPE HE SIT IDLY BY WHY MONSTER MACARTHUR TUNERD THE OVAL IN A BAREEN WASTELAND AND LET THE LAUNDRY ROOM GLOAT OUT TO SEE NOW WHEN I DO LAUNDRY THERE IS A SHANTY TOWN DOWN THERE AND A MEAN LADY WHO YELLS AT EVERYONE AND HATES DOGS MORE THAN I HATE SHCREAMS IN MY HALLWAY BUT I ALDO WNATED TO SAY STR KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND WHEN I CAND GET DEILIERY AGAIN ILL HAVE YOU OVER FOR KICHEN KKATICTORIE JUST BRING MACE IN CASE THE PIT BULL ARE ROAMING THE HALLS

Anonymous said...

Funny how Dan speaks up on the very day the DOB grants the change in occupancy and permits, today. The DOB was supposed to wait until the dead line of 2/7 for us all to get our challenges submitted. Someone moved up the dead line. On the same day Dan releases his letter.
This is not a coincidence. It is planned, timed, coordinated actions by them.

Anonymous said...

Wait, what?
Dan is asking for an audit from the DOB. Why? Because what tenants have been saying is true - this is illegal and wrong? Is he trying to distance himself from what they did by asking for information he already knows? Or is this "DOB audit" their attempt at covering up what they did?
This is the plan they brainstormed to cover this up?
Doesn't matter what they do now. It is out there. It is all on record. Who was radio silent. Who tried to censor. Who did what and when and who didn't do anything and when.

Anonymous said...

Too little too late Dan, as usual.

Anonymous said...

So true. This is the same thing he did to us on the midlease increase. Dan waited until we were protesting and shouting and being evicted which many of us were evicted because he was too late to act yet again. Dan needs to be voted out either because he is ineptly too late in taking action or he is intentionally too late taking action. Either way is not acceptable for a council member. He has to go.

Anonymous said...

Dan sent you this letter. And BH had a spokesperson release a statement on the other thread.
STR you are feared by all the right people.
Props to you man.

Anonymous said...

Thank you STR for revealing their secretive construction. That meeting in October was a joke. Obviously they told us what they thought would be enough to keep us quiet. Now these politicians are trying to keep us quiet saying they are looking into what was done. How about being involved with the tenants who were fighting before the damage was done. Where were the politicians up until now?

Anonymous said...

This whole thing stinks to high heaven!

Dan, Dan, the Dollar Short and Day Late Man
He Thinks We're Dumb as a Frying Pan

What a useless bought and paid for Asshole!

Anonymous said...

Goodness, LOL, I thought the same thing all caps thought and was happy for a moment at thought of Garodnick moving on out of political office. Damn headline. Let's hope it is an omen and he really does move on.

Anonymous said...

Why IS DAN ALWAYS LATE?

WHY SO SLOW to this?

Anonymous said...

Dan Garodnick ?.... Dan Garodnick ?.... hmmmmmm....

Didn't he just get RE-elected after running UNOPPOSED for his council seat ?

He must be doing a great job, because nobody seems to be organizing to elect anyone else !

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Yes, the same Dan who voted against extending term limits but decided to run for a third term himself.

Anonymous said...

Didn't he just get RE-elected after running UNOPPOSED for his council seat ?

He had an opponent. A female lawyer on the Republican line. I believe she spent $0.00 and still got 30%.

Anonymous said...

Not true, February 4, 2014 at 10:28 PM. I was actually interested, very interested, in your "rezoning protest," so I searched and found the two links you provided for the pdf challenge application and instructions. I downloaded both and after a look at the application realized I had no idea what to write **that would be an effective challenge** - I'm not an attorney and I know next to nada about rezoning. So I asked around and someone suggested calling Brad Hoylman or Dan Garodnick's office. I called Hoylman first and was given the whole story. That there was no rezoning necessary to build this mess, just a building permit to re-purpose effort. I posted that and you accused me of all kinds of stuff, including conspiring with CW Cap/TA/Garodnick/Hoylman to foist this thing on myself and my neighbors. If you had a clue, you'd know what a joke that is.

My only motive in relaying that conversation with Hoylman's office, just like all my comments on that thread, was to counter misinformation, much of which came from you and your army of sock puppets. I don't know what your motives are and frankly don't care. But again, I was at the meeting, you weren't. I spoke to someone about the rezoning effort who actually knows what's going on, you apparently did not. And I will gladly join any reality-based effort to put a halt to what's happening.

As for this latest development, it is *really* welcome. CW reps at that Oct meeting refused to answer questions regarding how high the roof would just up from ground level. It now appears from the rendering, if accurate, to be approx 4', all the way up to the windows on ground floor apartments and explains why they refused to answer. The skylights remain while the promised slope is gone. What we see in the rendering is a weird grass covered box pushing up out of the ground like a coffin with a view. It's wrong and typical CW Capital bullshit.

STR

I know I sound like a broken scratchy record and promise not to ask again, but you run a ST-PCV blog with a wide readership. Why not question the TA directly about what happened to your link? Or ask Dan G's office directly about why it's taken this long for a response? You can still maintain your aggressive stance and if they refuse to talk to you, report that. I think it would really expand this blog in a really good way. Getting hard facts out there would be critical to mounting any reality-based efforts to halt this unacceptable construction.

Thank you.

Anonymous said...



oh wow. Dan showed up.... bit late eh?

Anonymous said...

Poster at 12:19 PM asks a very valid question: why didn't STR ask the TA why they removed the post with a link to the artist's version of the new offices. Unfortunately, it's easier to crack NSA than to get info from the TA. It is the most secretive and censor-happy organization outside of the Government. Why? Who knows!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>why didn't STR ask the TA why they removed the post with a link to the artist's version of the new offices.<<

I did a few days ago and was told I'd get an answer, which I'm still waiting for.

Anonymous said...

"I did a few days ago and was told I'd get an answer, which I'm still waiting for."

Don't hold your breath!

I can remember when MetLife put a soda machine in the Oval many years ago and the TA got totally bent out of shape over it. They seem to have lost a lot of that earlier zest! I strongly suspect that they are in cahoots with Garodnick and don't make a move unless he approves because they have this pie-in-the-sky idea of a condo conversion. I don't believe that will ever happen and if it did it would be a disaster.

Anonymous said...

I know there are a lot of TA haters here and you're all entitled to your opinions, but maybe the TA just wanted to put it's own story on its Facebook page and that's why the link to STR was removed.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

That doesn't make sense. Why remove a post that just linked to an artistic representation of the new management office? Particularly when tenants are very interested in how the office will look. The only "out" here is if the original poster did it on her own.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Amazingly, about an hour ago, "Peter Stuyvesant" posted on the TA Facebook the same artistic rendering that was posted on this blog days ago and was linked to on the TA Facebook page previously. And posted it, as if it were new information!

Anonymous said...

Epic censorship happening today on TA Facebook page. Shame on Peter Stuyvesant, blocking comments of legitimate Group members. Neanderthal use of social media.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

I received an answer from the TA on why that post was removed. I can't say I'm pleased with the reasoning or, rather, the lack of it. I have to cool down a bit to evaluate what's going on and what my response should be. The only winner here will be management, I fear.

Anonymous said...

uh ok dude. February 5, 2014 at 12:19 PM I was just saying STR is as powerhouse as NYTimes. Didn't mean to rattle you. Not protesting anything. Just saying STR is in the journalistic big leagues.
Sincerely
February 4, 2014 at 10:28 PM

Anonymous said...

It's not too hard to understand why the TA has such low membership and why even longtime members drop out. There is such heavy-handed control exercised by those "in power." I don't know who Peter Stuyvesant is, but he/she would be an ideal employee of Vladimir Putin.

Anonymous said...

STR - How is Management the winner on a matter with the TA unless they are working together? Is it true? What are they doing on Facebook and what is this epic censoring 5:30 is saying is happening? Sounds shady.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand nor agree with the conspiracy theory on treading lightly due to hopeful condo conversion.... ?

Howso? you think that if Dan or TA doesn't complain about skating rinks and or new offices that the owners will sell to tenants?

Gee, the tenants have been so nice and not complaining, why not sell them the property? Really?

dcf said...

STR, I hope that you are aware how many of us appreciate your efforts and understand the nonsense that you deal with consistently.

Anonymous said...

Just saw that Garodick and Mendez introduced a bill to curb after hour work on the TA Facebook page:

http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1655655&GUID=97C47DE3-CF8F-4B92-824E-4F01B524C9D9&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=

Anonymous said...

I am astounded at the reactionary attitude of the TA moderators. They really go out of their way to tamp down anything that smacks of legitimate criticism and/or questioning of the actions of Garodnick. It's scary. It is also very counter-productive because it makes them look all the more questionable.

Openness and transparency are anathema to the TA.

Anonymous said...

The timing of "Dan G and the Electeds" letter, along with today's TA FB post, is strictly to capture the front page of tomorrow's T&V and produce the appearance of "doing something." Neither effort will produce results that benefit the short-term quality of life or long-term stability of our community. That train has left the station.

Anonymous said...

We need offices on premise.
We do NOT need CW spending millions to build a new office that destroys trees, the property and open space.
To be clear, before anyone jumps down my throat about how we need office I am saying that there is a need for an office but it does NOT need to be a new building. There are plenty of options. They did not have to destroy the Oval. They did not have to destroy the First Ave space.
There needs to be a distinction made because some are blurring the lines and trying to get away with saying we need this construction because we need an office.
We could have had an office without this construction.
Period.

Anonymous said...

There's something wrong with the leadership of today's TA. No matter how chaotic and disorganized the TA of the past used to be, the leadership always had the decency and humility to think of serving the tenants first rather than postulating and unilaterally setting direction (as if 'being leaders' was more important than rendering community service. Today's group conducts itself with an air of arrogance & self importance completely opposite to what the TA used to be.

Anonymous said...

When I read the headline, I thought Dan was moving uptown!

Anonymous said...

Really, February 5, 2014? And that "dude" was about as natural as blue hair. If you know what I mean.

Anonymous said...

"When I read the headline, I thought Dan was moving uptown!"

I wish he'd move OUT of town!