Sunday, June 29, 2014

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (June 2014)

Take a walk by the Community Center, near 1st Ave, at the loop, and you will see some nice gardening.




There's an awful racket going on during work on the new management office. Wasn't a promise made of no drilling? The DOB has allowed work to proceed after hours and on the weekend. I believe such an allowance is made only for particular, pressing cases, and I don't know if the new management office fits that stipulation. But who cares, right? (Click photo to make larger.)


That's going to be one big cellar extension!



STPCV just loves students and encourages them to rent here. Pictured below is a banner along 1st Ave purposefully directed at students. Other banners abound along that perimeter, promoting other perks in the complex.


Hmm, an "Open House"? I guess apartments are not selling fast enough to fill the vacancies from people needing to leave because 1) school is over, or 2) they can't afford the rent here anymore.


What the sign below should say is "This Gate Will be Closed to Low-Income Minorities Between 2:45pm and 7:15pm Daily." The closing of the gates opposite the Asser Levy pool begins to prevent black and primarily Hispanic youth from going through Peter Cooper Village and Stuy Town on their way home to the Lower East Side.


Let's admit it: Public Safety has given up on the dog situation here. Nowadays, people walking breeds that are banned in the complex or dogs that fall outside of the dog rules (more than 2 dogs, weight limitations, etc.) are never stopped and queried by PS. Nothing is done, even when dog-owners from outside bring in their dogs to STPCV for crap and piss duty, walking right by PS officers. And certain areas, like the back of 510/522 East 20 Street, are now known as depositories for dog turds with no pick-up from dog owners.




Nothing quite exemplifies "luxury living" like seeing dog turds and running streams of dog piss throughout the complex.

66 comments:

Kerry said...

Well all I can say is that I am truly glad that I was living in ST from 1955-1970. Those pics of dog turd is just beyond. If a dog did happen to wander into ST it was quickly given the heave ho,ya know what I mean.I feel sorry for the ppl paying such tremendous amts. of rent having to put up with dogs and unruly students.

Anonymous said...

The cellar extension stretches the length of an entire city block, is above ground, and has a roof.
That is not a cellar.

Anonymous said...

Disgusting. How embarrassing. I wonder if the tour for the new tenants is always spic and span clean. Then again, maybe all the possible tenants (thousands)who own dogs don't give a __it. Might be a welcome sign for them.

Anonymous said...

Shit and Piss is what dog owners want and, unfortunately, it no longer matters that normal people would prefer to live in a clean home.

Anonymous said...

I wish 60 Minutes would do a story on this place.

Anonymous said...

Pretty much lipstick on a pig in any event. What I don't understand is why my Modification Order for MCI(s) due to J-51 Tax Abatement (Rent Stabilized) covers asbestos abatement/parapet/coping (huh?)/masonry and roof surface. Didn't I already pay for that? I guess I should feel blessed I'm now getting a $.31 per month deduction, but here's the kicker. According to my most recent rent statement, I'm still paying close to $%15/month for the barely-working intercom, almost $20/month for the crack security system we have in place and almost $35/month for water. For these amenities, I've been granted an astronomical credit of $3.34. Lord, love a duck! Tis' true that figures don't lie, but liars can figure.

Hippo said...

Be thankful for the considerate dog owners who have their animals shit on the walkways or grass or on the Oval. They are the true solid citizens, pillars of the community.
The real losers are the ones who let their pets defecate in the stairwells or elevators.
Nothing brightens your morning better than stepping into the elevator and seeing some freshly laid turds!

Anonymous said...

I've lived here for over 20 years and have always loved dogs (and all animals for that matter). Having said that, they simply do not belong here. There is not enough space for the amount of dogs that currently call PCV/ST home to do their "business" without it interfering with the QOL in terms of full loads, stains, smears and puddles. It's impossible to pick up urine. Waterside Plaza knows better than to open the floodgates and allow the dogs in. Can you imagine hundreds of dogs #1'ing and #2'ing on that small concrete plaza?

Anonymous said...

Write to Mr. Kavanagh again and again. Repeatedly telling him and his office what a scam this has become for current tenants.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone really think the dog policy will be reversed? Who knows if it even can be. What's the use in complaining about neighbors who don't mind living amidst raw sewage? If it would bring the project back to its prior clean state I would join in, but nothing is going to change! I think Hippo may be on to something here. Let's be grateful that most neighbors at least have the courtesy to let their dogs shit and piss by the outside door and not in the hall or elevator.

Anonymous said...

STUY TOWN, YOUR STUDY PLACE? HOLY S#$%$**!

Anonymous said...

DOGS DO NOT BELONG HERE!!!!!
That's why Met life had good reason for many years NOT to
have them!! END OF STORY!!
Maybe new owners will listen to us and possibly reverse this policy with new tenants. We can only hope. In the meantime,continue to watch your step?

Anonymous said...

Actually, most large scale urban renewal projects (Knickerbocker, Tudor, STPCV, Penn South, etc) had strict no dog policies. It's just common sense - stack 88 families up in a tower, and then add dogs... bad news.

And aside from the waste, there's the noise issue. there are 2 dogs on our floor that go on long barking sprees whenever there's any activity in the hallway. Anytime someone comes or goes or takes out the trash, get ready for a five minute yapping serenade!

Anonymous said...

The Manhattan Borough Commissioner approved for After Hours work until 9:00PM every night this week and all weekend. Why? To help CW get away with making an office building that is a lot bigger than planned, more expensive than declared, and a project so big it normally takes 12 - 18 months and not the 3 - 4 months these guys said when they sold the plan through the permit process just to get the "ok". Its lie after lie after lie.
Good thing I did not go to the TA meeting where it was more lies after lies. Never bought it in the first place.

Anonymous said...

Don't blame Public Safety for the dog mess. I have seen plenty of dogs that are so called not allowed but have Stuyvesant/ Peter Cooper tags. So the blame goes on whoever is in charge of the licenses. Obviously somebody doesn't know anything about dogs or they just don't care. My neighbor has pitbull and is registered. Cute harmless dog he is. Not much else too say but gotta deal with it. We have janitors and other cleaning crews, let them clean up the mess. You got that 1 guy on the machine that cleans sidewalks with soap and water. Maybe they should get another 1 or 2 of things to go around the property.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Yes, I've seen banned dogs with STPCV licenses on them, but I've also seen banned dogs without licenses being walked around the Oval and PS does nothing. I've also seen dogs from outside the complex being casually walked into STPCV right in front of the noises of PS.

PS has given up on this issue. What I do not know is if this is result of orders from CW/CompassRock. Perhaps we should ask CW/CompassRock?

As to how banned dogs get licensed here--well, apparently you don't have to bring your dog in to get licensed. Just fill out a form and lie. Anyone who does this should be evicted for making false statements on an application. But, no, that's not going to happen here, of course.

Anonymous said...

StuyTown, Your Doggie Do Place

Giovanni said...

It is definitely getting bad in StuyTown but with many years head start the dog problem in Gramercy Park is even worse. In the summertime, the smell of evaporating dog urine is unbearable, and they don't hose down the fence where every dog in the neighborhood, dumps their load and marks every square inch with their pee.

Same goes for the dog run in Tompkins Square, you can smell it way before you can even see it, and every year it gets worse. Soon with all the buildup StuyTown will be the same.

Someone needs to invent pill that takes away the smell of dog pee, and that makes the crap stains invisible. I'll take the graffiti on the trains we used to have any day over the toxic stench of dog urine which these days lasts all year long.

Anonymous said...

The genie is already out of the bottle, there is no going back, dogs are here to stay, so just get over it. The problem is not the dogs, the problem is the dog owners who do not clean up after there dogs. There are plenty of good responsible dog owners who live here, many of whom are old time tenants.
The problem here is students, if we could stop NYU etc using our homes as dorms and get the city to enforce the no more than 3 unrelated people living in an apartment law then we might stand a chance of improving our community.

Anonymous said...

Possibly, the person or persons who gives tags to the "forbidden" dogs charges a private "fee" for doing so. Maybe someone should look into that.

Anonymous said...

As long as you have 8 entrant points into Stuyvesant and 1 PS person in Oval area. Their is gonna be dogs everywhere tenants or not. Only real way to solve problem is place guards at every entrance to the property and ask for I'd when someone is coming in. But of course that won't work cause tenants will then bitch and complain about getting asked for id. Let's be honest more than half of tenants here don't carry their access cards. Just a mess that people are gonna have too deal with.

Anonymous said...

PC ST was a stable and profitable community at full capacity when it was 100% RS - with a waiting list of 5 - 10 years just to get in.

Now that it is 50% market rate dorms&longer term tenants it is unstable and in need of an open house with big signs.

That is a sign.

Anonymous said...

Do we elect the Borough Commissioner who signed of on the 10 days After Hours permit? Who is it? I want to make sure I do not vote for them for anything ever.
Seriously what is the criteria for issuing an After Hours Permit. Just ask and you shall receive?

Anonymous said...

Saw the huge "cellar extension" this morning. They need to rethink the playground. The space is too small for a water spray for kids to run through. Maybe they could stand in it but its just too small a space. The space would be better served with landscaping and tall trees and our kids can play in the play ground that is never used behind the leasing offices. That is big enough and could be redesigned to accommodate smaller kids running around. Small kids need a lot of space. I think that would be better for the kids.

Anonymous said...

50 years of needing a wait list to get in and now they need an open house to lure them in?

Anonymous said...

Is anyone else angry about the way the Roberts settlement was handled?

The town & village article and the comments on this blog paint a very different picture of the Roberts Settlement than what is laid out on the TA page at

http://www.stpcvta.org/ta/post/roberts-is-settled1

"The settlement concludes almost 18 months of negotiations. Aranoff said that today’s $68.75 million settlement includes a generous legal rent formula for the past rent overcharge claims, which yields damages of almost $10,000 per leasehold and average damage awards of $3,200 for the 21,250 class members."

THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

"The cash received and saved will not be the only benefits the class members achieve as a result of this litigation, Schmidt said. “Class members will realize substantial additional benefits by retaining the full protections of the Rent Stabilization Law for the next eight years, including, most importantly, the rights to automatic lease renewal and succession. The settlement is eminently fair and reasonable, and a very good result for the tenants.”

SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?
Getting back what we once had that was taken away is not an additional benefit let alone substantial.

We should have been made whole, plus interest, plus damages. At the very least. I don't see any additional benefits.

Anonymous said...

Stuy Town Your Study Place
Stuy Town Your Party Place
What is the difference?

Its another NYU PCV ST Real Estate Scam! Just how corrupt is this political administration and going back how far?

Time to kick some incumbents to the curb!

Anonymous said...

If I hear a dog barking excessively, I'm videotaping it AND calling P.S. To all dog owners, BEWARE OF YOUR NEIGHBOR!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>Is anyone else angry about the way the Roberts settlement was handled?<<

Almost everything about Roberts, aside from the initial ruling, should anger tenants.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>Seriously what is the criteria for issuing an After Hours Permit. Just ask and you shall receive?<<

That seems just about right.

Anonymous said...

Bears repeating.

The genie is already out of the bottle, there is no going back, dogs are here to stay, so just get over it. The problem is not the dogs, the problem is the dog owners who do not clean up after there dogs. There are plenty of good responsible dog owners who live here, many of whom are old time tenants.
The problem here is students, if we could stop NYU etc using our homes as dorms and get the city to enforce the no more than 3 unrelated people living in an apartment law then we might stand a chance of improving our community.

June 30, 2014 at 9:12 PM

Anonymous said...

There are laws on who is responsible for keeping the walkways clean. I believe it is the landlords and business owners who are required to keep the walkways clean in front of their dwellings. If the walkways are not clean and are in a regular state of unclean then the landlord & or business owner can be fined and required by the city to remedy the matter. Perhaps we should stop taking it out on the dogs and neighbors, and put the accountability where the responsibility for clean sidewalks lies. I think the laws are that dog owners have to pick up after their pets and landlords/businesses have to keep the walkways clean. And the City has to keep the streets clean. Everybody has to do their part.

Anonymous said...

If you get a chance go look at the new office building. Saw it today. Someone does need to tell the DOB if it has a roof and a dozen skylights, it is a building and not a cellar.



Anonymous said...

Now they do a 'tour' at the Leasing Office. Saw this today - Agent had maybe 15 people, all unrelated. She took them around, showed some of them this, some of them that. LMAO.

Anonymous said...

who do you think is paying for the staff and extra staff and more staff you want to man the exits and check the dogs and clean the hallways? US

another MCI FOR YOU !

CW is happy to add more staff and pretend to service the tenants, then they get to charge em.

Anonymous said...

July 1, 2014 at 2:36 PM I see the thing every day. It's in my back yard. The issues of roof and skylights came up at both meetings and were strongly objected to by a number of attendees, including me. The DOB saw the footprint, the roof and skylights in the plans. In addition the DOB had a rep there at the second meeting. So the only person surprised by the roof and skylights is you.

Anonymous said...

"Bears repeating.

The genie is already out of the bottle, there is no going back, dogs are here to stay, so just get over it. The problem is not the dogs, the problem is the dog owners who do not clean up after there dogs. There are plenty of good responsible dog owners who live here, many of whom are old time tenants.
The problem here is students, if we could stop NYU etc using our homes as dorms and get the city to enforce the no more than 3 unrelated people living in an apartment law then we might stand a chance of improving our community."

Yeah, you're right. Those pics posted by STR aren't compelling at all. Hell, a little dog crap makes for a more authentic NYC experience. I also agree that those long term dog owning tenants are ever so diligent in picking up after their dogs. I've even seen them have their dogs piss into buckets that they carry around so as not to make the property smell like stale dried urine. Your post is spot on indeed. Thanks for reminding us all that dogs aren't a problem around here.

Anonymous said...

Where has Wonderful Dan been while all this has been going on? Is a whopping new building really "accessory use?" I hope he's not planning to run for any public office in the future because, apart from his buddies on the TA, I don't think he's going to get much support from around here.
We have a landlord that is stirring up toxic soil, harassing tenants with muck and more and noise 7 days a week up to 9 pm, as well as several other inconveniences and QOL violations and Dan the Man says nothing.
I have never been so disappointed and disgusted with a politician in all my life and it's not because I don't think other pols are any better, but this guy tries to come across as our friend. With friends like him, who needs enemies?

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>CW is happy to add more staff and pretend to service the tenants, then they get to charge em.<<

I never heard of an MCI for more manpower or staff.

Management doesn't even have to get more PS officers. Just have the ones they do have do their jobs. Again, I've seen dogs being walked from outside of the complex right past PS officers and they do nothing. Surely it doesn't take more manpower to have the PS officer tell the dog walker that dogs from outside are not allowed in.

Anonymous said...

PS hates management as much as the tenants. They probably don't care since management treats them like shit. They just want a check and go home.

Anonymous said...

tsk tsk 7:52 you are missing the point of 2:36

The point is how easy it is for CW to break laws and prance through loopholes - you can build a building and call it a cellar extension as long as you put plants on the roof and wrap the exterior walls in plants and have a doorway to the cellar.

Many here have already addressed the dozens of times you go on and on about your TA meetings. Their purpose isn't to give a forum to make a difference.

It is to contain when tenants speak up and to shut tenants up as you keep trying to do on this blog.

TA meetings are a pointless waste of time. They are for the TA you to say "hey we told you in the meeting" so shut up. You TA think its ok to screw residents as long as you hold a meeting to say we are going to screw you but you can say whatever you want in this meeting and then you must forever hold your peace.

Just because you say you hold a meeting to tell us you are going to screw us doesn't make it ok and we will take it.

All you are proving is TA meetings are pointless, useless gratuitous hey-we-gave-you-a-forum to oppose even though nothing you say will make a difference, but hey you had a forum to speak up.

Then everyone leaves the meeting The TA and CW puff up their chests and this case DOB too and pat each other on the back saying good job wink wink nod nod we controlled and contained them. Then the TA walks away believing they are power players and CW and DOB respects them. (eye roll)
Then CW leaves laughing all the way HO HO HO.

TA meetings are not about tenants having fair say or a place for tenants to make a difference. They are to shut tenants up from speaking afterwards because "we had a meeting"!

TA meetings are by design not the place to make a difference.

tsk tsk you just keep on trying with that tired ole argument of yours.

Anonymous said...

You can't make this stuff up!

NYU students. Drunk. The one stumbling and falling on the sidewalk is from a wealthy NYC real estate family while his buddy goes on a drunken rant about controlling Mayor de Blasio and NYC cops.

Where on earth would a drunk NYU student with a BFF buddy from a prominent real estate family get the impression he has influence over Mayor de Blasio?


http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/Gerry-Shalam-viral-video-star-675432

Anonymous said...

Oh, by the way, I LOVED being wokened up at 6:45am this morning to the blaring sound of cement trucks on the 18th loop. Just lovely!!

Anonymous said...

TO July 1, 2014 at 8:46 PM

NO. The problem IS the dogs because they DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT belong here. That's why MET LIFE had these rules in the first place. And guess what? IT WORKED! DUH! END OF STORY!!!!

Anonymous said...

July 2, 2014 at 12:04 AM

I agree.

Anonymous said...

More students, more dogs, more bud-light, more filled outside garbage cans filled to the brim with pizza boxes and other crap, no more rules. It just continues to get better here, day by day. Not the place it used to be.

Anonymous said...

Re the piece of puke in the video: Too bad he didn't fall backwards and crack his brainless skull. Is this what NYU takes these days? Disgusting.

Anonymous said...

As long as you have the money,(who care about high school grades) they'll take anyone. Just look here?

Anonymous said...

July 2, 2014 at 7:34 AM

You claim that what's being built in my back yard is not legal. And then in the same sentence you claim that what's being built is legal, but thanks to "loopholes" in the law. You can't have it both ways. Either it is or isn't legal. The DOB says it's legal. That call was challenged by our city councilman, and the subsequent audit performed by the city found the call by the DOB to be correct. Either you're an an attorney with a deep knowledge of housing/building code or you're just firing blanks from the peanut gallery. I'm guessing it's the latter, so go tsk tsk yourself.

Anonymous said...

10 31 am you cannot imagine what NyU accepts today. Lowered their standards beyond belief.

Anonymous said...

It's an old adage, but a true one: Money cannot buy class.

Wouldn't be surprised if Rob Speyer behaved like that in his youth. In fact, he may even behave like that now when he has a load on!

Anonymous said...

The Flatiron video is epidemic of what is going on with the so called privileged millennials these days that have moved into Manhattan, Brooklyn and now, God help us, Queens. Self-absorbed narcissistic assholes without one ounce of empathy. This is not a broad stroke blast against Generation Y, just the type that has moved into NYC as students and just post college. If you want to see similar behavior, go to the EV on Ave A, Ave B, The Bowery, The LES, etc., or the Oval on any given weekend night.

Anonymous said...

Go the ST Yelp review link at this blog, there are some new scalding one star reviews, and click on “Useful” for those reviews. Click on “Funny “for that idiotic four star review. I see the infamous Peter S. has replied to give the usual boiler plate management BS on how concerned they are.

Anonymous said...

AAAAHH YES! The lovely toxic smell of summertime dog urine. Enjoy it, all you dog lovers. The only 'individuals' that 'GIVE' a SH%#$% around here ARE the dogs.
At least they do it on a consistent basis.

Anonymous said...

But how do we get RID of the dogs? That's the question!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Can we post STR website on Yelp so new victims can read the blog ?

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Yelp is very finicky. You can post a review (and add a link to the blog), but whether it says in the comment section is another matter.

Anonymous said...

@ July 3, 2014 at 5:01 PM
It is of course not possible to get rid of the dogs, once the rules were changed and dogs were allowed then that is the end of the story.
What could be enforced is, no dogs from outside be allowed into STPCV, and no large or aggressive breeds being allowed to live here and fines being given to dog owners who do not clean up after there dog. To do that then public safety would have to stop checking there Facebook accounts on there smart phones, so that probably will not ever happen here either.

Anonymous said...

This is the problem, not the dogs.
http://www.nyunews.com/2013/03/07/stuy-town/

Anonymous said...

Don't tar all dog owners with the same brush. I'm a dog owner and furious with the dog owners (ST residents and outsiders) who don't pick up after their
dogs. In PCV, they've installed freestanding dog bag dispensers adjacent to small grassy areas which are
open at both ends. Why don't we have something similar - and, how about free-standing ashtrays?
The areas around the playgrounds and the Oval look
like giant ashtrays.

Anonymous said...

DOGS do not belong here! End of story!!!!

Anonymous said...

"Don't tar all dog owners with the same brush. I'm a dog owner and furious with the dog owners (ST residents and outsiders) who don't pick up after their dogs."
The point is that a lot of us don't want feces and feces smears on the pathways at all. Do you know what condition your dog's feces will be before it poops? I didn't think so.

"In PCV, they've installed freestanding dog bag dispensers adjacent to small grassy areas which are open at both ends. Why don't we have something similar"
Really? You can't be responsible for providing your own bag? As far as I've seen, there's only one of these dispensers. And grass isn't for pooping on, BTW.

" - and, how about free-standing ashtrays?
The areas around the playgrounds and the Oval look like giant ashtrays."
I'm with you on this one. Starbucks on 23rd should have one and so should Gracefully on 23rd--their construction workers are big-time smokers.

Anonymous said...

You know how to solve the problem of the "giant ashtrays?" GET RID OF THE DOGS!

Anonymous said...

Intercom installation is very funny.

Literally 8 guys per apartment , per installation. Has to have a guy downstairs, guys upstairs and of course rental cops along with it.

CW doesn't mind, since you're paying for all this!!!!! It's priceless.

Anonymous said...

All these dog turds are disgusting. I have seen that dog walker/training guy wearing a DCTK9 shirt in the complex walking numerous dogs all the time. Many of them are banned breeds -- pit bulls, german shepherds.

Now, with all these dogs, can he pick up those dog turds when one of them goes #2? I don't think so.

Apparently he lives in Peter Cooper. Guess what? He boards multiple dogs (4 to 5 at a time) in his apartment for so called board and train program. These are aggressive dogs and he charges THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS per dog. Seriously?! This can't be legal. He needs to be reported.

You can see for yourself.

https://www.facebook.com/168524309848413/photos/a.755012234532948.1073741831.168524309848413/755013041199534/?type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/168524309848413/photos/pb.168524309848413.-2207520000.1406077009./756344061066432/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dream-Come-True-K9Blake-Rodriguez/168524309848413

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Outrageous. I've seen this guy walk around the Oval. I believe he may have a girl friend that does the same thing, unless it's another banned breed dog walker using the Oval.

Feel free to report this to Public Safety. If you do, let me know what their response is.

I will be posting something about this later.