Partitions have been put in by the landlord for years now. What are these partitions? Are they partitions that convert, say, a two-bedroom apartment into a three bedroom apartment, as we see in the diagram below? (Click on any image to make larger.)
This is the type of DoB application that is filled out by the builder to create partitions, presented here, for our purpose, in its more important three sections:
Please note that the alteration type checked off is Type 2 and not Type 1. A Type 1 alternation contains a check mark area for "Change in Room Count/Dwelling Units" and one for "Change in Occupancy/Use".
So if the partitions created in this application for three Stuy Town apartments are partitions to create an extra bedroom, as in the diagram above (which is not of any of these apartments, btw, but just an example), how is it possible that these partitions were legally put in, as the paperwork was not properly filled out?
These partition applications are very numerous in Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village and can be accessed at the DoB site:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/home/home.shtml
From there, go down to the left and see "Buildings Information"... and fill in.
It's obvious that the creation of extra bedrooms serves the landlord very well, particularly in renting out apartments to hordes of students. This complex may now have 5,000 more tenants thanks to the creation of extra bedrooms.
So, TA, have you looked into this at all? And, if so, what is the outcome of your research?
UPDATE: 9/19/14:
The info below I found on a site that is not official, but it tries to explain "Alteration Type". The insertion of partitions to create a new bedroom (if that's what those partitions are for) is considered by CW and before them, TS, as Type-2. Here's the info:
An Alteration Type-I Application is required when there is a major change to the Certificate of Occupancy of a building, such as converting it from commercial to residential, an interior conversion of the building or a space within a building, or due to a building addition. Most commonly, an Alteration Type-I Application will be used to change the Maximum Number of Persons for a space, to change the Occupancy or Use Group of a space, and/or to change the Description of a space.
Alteration Type-II Application is an alteration that doesn’t change the use or occupancy of the building but requires several types of work, such as plumbing and construction. An Alteration Type-II Application may be used when there is no change to the Certificate of Occupancy due to the proposed alterations, such as with an interior fitout or alteration. When an Alteration Type-II is filed under Directive-14 (such is the case 99% of the time), the Applicant or other NYS Registered Professional Engineer or Registered Architect may signoff the application with a Directive-14 Final Inspection.
Alteration Type-III is a minor alteration that involves only one type of work, such as a curb cut or a construction fence. ALT-1s and ALT 2s must be filed by a registered architect or licensed engineer; some ALT3s don’t require detailed plans and can be filed by a non-professional.
UPDATE: 9/24/14:
UPDATE: 9/25/14:
This is the kind of thing revelation that has no impact unless taken up by our representatives. This is for Garodnick. Something needs to happen when grassroots are repeatedly let down while their reps either search for bigger headlines or do something other than meeting grassroots needs. If Garodnick decides to run again, a Democrat needs to run against him at least to pick off the 'anyone but Garodnick' vote.
ReplyDeleteTa! ta! Where is our TA? There is no one there watching, protecting, speaking on our behalf.
ReplyDeleteTA!!! WHY THE SILENCE, WHERE ARE YOU.
There's your reason for shit in the stairwell. 3 bros + all their friends + 1 bathroom = Andrew MacArthur's Stairwell Log Flume. If only the TA weren't so impotent and Dan wasn't so interested in real estate.
ReplyDeleteThe TA surveyed laundry rooms but not apartments illegally turned into dorms that effects our safety, health, infrastructure, financial well being as we now pay for charges for NYU campus security, property finances as the purchase price is grossly inflated, and on and on. It would have been just as easy to survey the apartments that are now dorms by going to the BIS section as STR did. If the best this TA board can and will do is survey the laundry rooms then fine, they can be the support staff for a new and real TA Board.
ReplyDeleteOff topic but related
ReplyDeleteGO SCOTLAND VOTE YES!
Scottish Quality of Life over Commercial Interests of corporate business!
VOTE YES!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/opinion/alan-cumming-scotlands-moment-of-destiny.html?_r=0
Who do you think is at the bottom of this.....
ReplyDeleteThere is something definitely brewing with our TA. Way too silent! Did they give up as well?
ReplyDelete"The TA surveyed laundry rooms but not apartments illegally turned into dorms that effects our safety, health, infrastructure, financial well being as we now pay for charges for NYU campus security, property finances as the purchase price is grossly inflated, and on and on. It would have been just as easy to survey the apartments that are now dorms by going to the BIS section as STR did. If the best this TA board can and will do is survey the laundry rooms then fine, they can be the support staff for a new and real TA Board."
ReplyDeleteYou got that right! The TA is USELESS! Totally fucking USELESS!
Each one of should put in writing our knowledge and understanding of this illegal activity to: Garodnick, Schumer, Gillebrand, Maloney, De Blasio, the relevant city regulatory agencies, Rose Associates, CW Crap, Compass Block, and investigative reporters on all major networks. Most of these people are or were lawyers, and they're dreadfully afraid of bad press about illegal activity, especially the politicians. The more of us real residents and constituents that make this illegal behavior be put under the spotlight, the more they will trip all over each other pointing fingers at one another. We CANNOT sit around and wait for Garodnick or the useless TA to do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteYou expect the TA to answer you? LOL, you are one heck of an optimist, I'll give you that.
ReplyDeleteA topic of equal concern to me is what is being done to the heating system with the installation of thru the wall air conditioners. These units are placed where the heating pipes are for the living room and some bedrooms. The heating system in PCVST is unique,
ReplyDeleteand I am both curious and worried about the effect of the new location of the AC units.
Anonymous @ September 18, 2014 at 10:58 AM said... "There is something definitely brewing with our TA. Way too silent! Did they give up as well?"
ReplyDeleteST-PCV quality of life has not been a priority for at least 3-4 years since the TA and real estate predator Brookfield joined together in a partnership intended to disenfranchise ST-PCV tenants. There is no difference between Brookfield and Speyer. A predator wearing white shoes is still a predator.
Why is the TA silent? Right now the TA and Dan Garodnick are conducting secret negotiations with CWC and Mayor de Blasio's financial advisor from Goldman Sachs, Alicia Glen, to conceive a scheme that will hand over to Brookfield the $3 Billion Fannie/Freddie funding that Senator Schumer set aside for ST-PCV tenants. Tenants still need, at most, a junior partner and the scheme will cynically be called a "tenant led purchase" that hands over $3 Billion and 100% ownership of ST-PCV to Brookfield while delivering nothing for tenants they don't already have - eroding RS protections that no politician can or wants to preserve.
The TA's investment advisor, Moelis, and attorney, Paul Weiss, will be paid tens of millions of dollars after they help Garodnick and the TA hand over $3 Billion Fannie/Freddie funding that Senator Schumer set aside for tenants and 100% ST-PCV ownership to Brookfield in exchange for nothing. Moelis and Paul Weiss will not bill ST-PCV tenants for their professional services because they don't work for ST-PCV tenants. They will not get paid until after Brookfield is handed $3 Billion set aside for tenants and 100% owns ST-PCV. They are retained by the TA to work for Brookfield. The tenants have no real representation, but they will pay for Brookfield's.
Brookfield promises ST-PCV tenants it will not construct a 100 story skyscraper on the Oval. Instead it will sell the development rights to some other real estate predator constructing it across 14th Street, maybe on the Con Ed site. Maybe Brookfield will transfer ST-PCV development rights to themselves.
Thank you Dan Garodnick and TA for saving the Oval by selling us out to our Brookfield savior!
why yes, so glad the TA spoke up on our behalf regarding our laundry rooms. NOT
ReplyDeletespeak up ABOUT THE DORMS, THE OVERCHARGES, the noise, not the laundry rooms. (which are bad, we agree, but our homes we live in is much worse)
No the TA didn't give up, they were never in the fight. They are waiting for their office to be built then they will begin their gibberish again.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!
ReplyDeleteAs the first commenter noted, this should be a real grassroots effort. Meaning the TA could probably use a few STPCV volunteers for doing all that online research on these numerous partition applications and other volunteers to organize the collected data. Once the info's collected, the TA could then pass it on to D Garodnick or B Hoylman or B Kavanagh -- whoever's most appropriate.
Don't you think if the TA wanted to get to the bottom of this they would have raised the issue years ago when you started mentioning it on this blog? Either nothing will change or we will see the biggest cover up in the history of PCVST cover ups.
ReplyDeleteSomething brewing with the TA alright... Sleepytime Tea!
ReplyDeleteGarodnick is term limited, unless the Council overturns them again.
ReplyDeleteNo information from the TA. All issues should be updated for all the tenants, that's why it's called Tenant's Assn. Policy should be forthcoming, open, honest and continually on-going whenever our interest is being whispered about or roared over. Vote them all out. No transparency; they've had their chance and leave us dumbfounded, as usual.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of transparency in the TA is one of its greatest detriments.
ReplyDelete"Each one of should put in writing our knowledge and understanding of this illegal activity to: Garodnick, Schumer, Gillebrand, Maloney, De Blasio, the relevant city regulatory agencies, Rose Associates, CW Crap, Compass Block, and investigative reporters on all major networks. Most of these people are or were lawyers, and they're dreadfully afraid of bad press about illegal activity, especially the politicians. The more of us real residents and constituents that make this illegal behavior be put under the spotlight, the more they will trip all over each other pointing fingers at one another. We CANNOT sit around and wait for Garodnick or the useless TA to do anything about it."
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! Unfortunately, not all of us are very good at penmanship. If someone could come up with a rough guide to such a letter, I would gladly write each of these persons and entities. Thanks.
>>Don't you think if the TA wanted to get to the bottom of this they would have raised the issue years ago when you started mentioning it on this blog? Either nothing will change or we will see the biggest cover up in the history of PCVST cover ups.<<
ReplyDeleteIF the DoB forms were filled out incorrectly, this could be huge. A lawsuit could mandate substantial fines against the landlord, the removal of the partitions that created the extra bedrooms. Even MCIs could be affected because more bodies in ST/PCV means more wear, which is what certain MCIs are used to repair. A case could also be made that the landlord has failed to operate this property legally and well, and that the property's governance should be taken over by the city because of this.
My suspicion is that the TA and Garodnick do not want any lawsuit because that could tie up the dream of tenant ownership for years, just like the Roberts case put that dream on hold.
Reality is...unless the partitioning is taken up as a cause by our councilman, nothing will happen. Remember, Garodnick ran unopposed last time out. And it was his third term. Every one of his attempts for higher office have failed. Unless he decides to run for a 4th term (what's to stop him?), he'll have to return to private life. If he does run again, someone has to oppose him.
ReplyDeleteOr they don't want a lawsuit because that will show they are complicit.
ReplyDeleteThe residents deserve a lawsuit and an end to the illegal schemes.
Riverton tenants sue CWCapital over ‘inflated’ MCIs, according to T&V Newspaper. HHHMMMMM. very interesting! Work that was done many years ago. HHMMMMM. Sounds familiar. Don't ya think?
ReplyDelete"Great idea!
ReplyDeleteAs the first commenter noted, this should be a real grassroots effort. Meaning the TA could probably use a few STPCV volunteers for doing all that online research on these numerous partition applications and other volunteers to organize the collected data. Once the info's collected, the TA could then pass it on to D Garodnick or B Hoylman or B Kavanagh -- whoever's most appropriate."
LOL. Good one. All this would accomplish exactly what? Absolutely NOTHING!! The TA, Garodnick, Hoylman and Kavanaugh are all on the take. Plain and Simple!
Remember, Garodnick ran unopposed last time out. And it was his third term. Every one of his attempts for higher office have failed.
ReplyDeleteGarodnick had an opponent in his last run. A Republican woman who without spending a penny won 30% of the vote. Garodnick had carried over 90% in his 2 prior runs. In NY politics that is as close to a spanking as a Democratic incumbent gets.
If CW/CR really are screwing us by illegal means, then this is the opportunity for Dan Garodnick and the TA to show they have backbone and integrity. It would do wonders for us tenants and would do wonders for DG and the TA because they would be respected and have the whole community behind them. It might be the shot in the arm DG needs to keep his political career going after his third term has ended. So far, doesn't seem like he's accomplished much.
ReplyDeleteSTR 10:26 Exactly right. This needs to be a lawsuit. The DOB allowed the forms to be filled out incorrectly hundreds of times for thousands of apartments. This could not have happened without their involvement in the scheme. The DOB and former DOB commissioner and DHCR need to be included in the suit as well. These are not incompetent people, they are experts in their field and the forms are designed to ask questions to avoid precisely this type of fraudulent scheme.
ReplyDeleteIf Garodnick and DeBlasio and the TA are complicit with this because it looks like they are increasing "affordable housing" (which it is NOT), then they are going to go down in the annals of history as being as sleazy and mucky as Boss Tweed.
ReplyDeleteI think DeB will be a one-term mayor and some Repug will be shooed into office after his disastrous term is ended; and Garodnick will go back to practicing law and never be heard from again. And nobody will miss either of them.
Come on Danny boy. Let's see what you can do for us.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm remembering right STR, the TA filed a lawsuit a couple of landlords ago about these partitions that forced MetLife, the DOB and FDNY to come up with something that complied with existing code.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming the diagram is in compliance, but it's not at all apparent, to me anyway, that the partition application in question has been falsified (or whatever the correct term would be) because it's all legal gibberish.
Your readers should remember that at this point you are only suggesting that the legality of the linked-to application should be looked into. You're a blogger and so you've written this up as a blog post. But it also might be a good idea to pass along your concerns directly to the relevant people.
Yes, I believe, Tishman-Speyer had to redo the partitions because they were not in compliance with the fire code. (Though I remember that tenants had to share or pay for everything?) So the fire code business is probably very much taken care of.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are right about legal gibberish. It may very well be that "occupancy" does not mean what we think it means, but rather how a room or apartment is being occupied. For instance, you can't put in a pizza parlor in your living room. That addresses the question of "use."
I've read conflicting concepts, so that's why, ultimately, we need lawyers to look into this.
If the TA has looked into this, they should say so, and not be secretive about it.
And here we have something that also needs attention. Again, I'm assuming every new "market-rate" apartment in ST/PCV is in compliance, but one never knows.
ReplyDeletehttp://codes.lp.findlaw.com/nycode/ADC/27/2/3/4/27-2074
The info below I found on a site that is not official, but it tries to explain "Alteration Type". The insertion of partitions to create a new bedroom is considered by CW and before them, TS, as Type-2. Here's the info:
ReplyDeleteAn Alteration Type-I Application is required when there is a major change to the Certificate of Occupancy of a building, such as converting it from commercial to residential, an interior conversion of the building or a space within a building, or due to a building addition. Most commonly, an Alteration Type-I Application will be used to change the Maximum Number of Persons for a space, to change the Occupancy or Use Group of a space, and/or to change the Description of a space.
Alteration Type-II Application is an alteration that doesn’t change the use or occupancy of the building but requires several types of work, such as plumbing and construction. An Alteration Type-II Application may be used when there is no change to the Certificate of Occupancy due to the proposed alterations, such as with an interior fitout or alteration. When an Alteration Type-II is filed under Directive-14 (such is the case 99% of the time), the Applicant or other NYS Registered Professional Engineer or Registered Architect may signoff the application with a Directive-14 Final Inspection.
Alteration Type-III is a minor alteration that involves only one type of work, such as a curb cut or a construction fence. ALT-1s and ALT 2s must be filed by a registered architect or licensed engineer; some ALT3s don’t require detailed plans and can be filed by a non-professional.
When I read and reread what qualifies as Alteration Type-1 on the DoB form, I keep on seeing "Change in Room Count" as one of the features of that type of alteration.
ReplyDeleteSome time ago, CR wanted to do some work in my unit cutting into walls in the kitchen and bathroom. I said I would give permission only see a certificate of inspection that said no asbestos would be released. I also reported the request to the EPA which sent an inspector to my apartment who saw the situation but did not take any samples. I never heard back from CR and I never heard back from the EPA. Everything remains a secret. Opaque. Like always. I say again...unless our councilman is willing to get on the ball and follow through, nothing of this kind or what you're bringing up will ever become transparent.
ReplyDeleteClearly the DOB paperwork is fraudulent. Another suspicious thing with DOB is they are erasing the original Certificate of Occupancy of our Oval building and replacing it with new Certificate of Occupancy with new terms for the type of Occupancy.
ReplyDeletewow. Just wow.
ReplyDeleteand no one in all of NYC challenging the DOB?
not our upstanding, helpful, tenant supportive TA? BUT, why not?
3:57 PM: I will keep your post in mind if they ever want to cut into walls in my apartment. If the EPA cannot guarantee that no asbestos will be released, then I will not let them in and will fight them in court if necessary.
ReplyDeleteWe are being "ruled over" by a totally unscrupulous landlord that has no morals and decency and definitely no regard for human life. Probably the only way to curb their avaricious and reckless endangerment of our lives is to fight them in the Courts and in the Press. I am more than willing to do that, should the need arise. CW and CR are the absolute embodiment of what are generally known as "slumlords," inasmuch as they will endanger the health of and, possibly, kill and terrorize tenants in order to achieve their agenda. Nobody should be afraid of and intimidated by such despicable scum in this day and age.
Thank you for all you do Str blogger. You're the only one now doing it.
ReplyDeleteReview on Yelp---
ReplyDeleteNew tenant here - basically wondering why i'm paying more than an ad you just placed for about 20% of rentals here. And why I'm paying $3,000.00 more than the tenant who moved out in July. Per month, $3,000 more per month. Is this legal anyone?
TY STR. You are.it. No one else gives a rats ass about all 23,000+
ReplyDeleteI thought it is illegal for any one party to rent multiple rent stabilized apartments, let alone the thousands leased by NYU then subleased to students. What is stopping any of us from renting multiple rent stabilized apartments then subleasing them? Oh yeah, the law. Which applies everyone, yes?
ReplyDeleteI just heard about this blog but we are moving out in 6 weeks. It's been awful to say the least. I am posting to tell the good people here be ready, beware as there are Large and more increases coming via MCI and good luck. I feel for the new and the ole folk here. They will be royally screwing you.
ReplyDeleteTJ
Thanks for the warning, TJ. I wish we had a tenants association and councilman who gave a flying fuck.
ReplyDeleteWhat, exactly, do people think the TA and Dan Garodnick could do about this? Don't bash them out of a feeling of powerlessness, if there really is nothing they can do.
ReplyDeleteSAD THAT THE TITLE SAYS
ReplyDeleteTA PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
TA PLEASE TAKE notice.
>>What, exactly, do people think the TA and Dan Garodnick could do about this?<<
ReplyDeleteRespond? With a serious answer/explanation, of course.
I don't expect Garodnick to respond, but the TA has had days to respond (a link to this post and a few comments to it are on the TA Facebook page). So far, nothing.
We're all just wondering what the TA DOES do. Please enlighten us. What fool would continue to pay dues when we get no updates, no help, no answers. The TA is bashing us is more like it.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this about the time the TA says "ya know we're all volunteers".
ReplyDeleteIf the TA would start responding, that would be a good sign. Perhaps a start. But responsiveness hasn't been the hallmark of Garodnick or this TA. They've taken an us against them point of view and have acted as if it is theirs to lead and ours to follow without much question. The net result has been more division. Really, at this point the TA Board should just resign. The status quo has existed for close to 2 years now. Just too long for this board to recover.
ReplyDelete>>>>What, exactly, do people think the TA and Dan Garodnick could do about this?<<
ReplyDeleteRespond? With a serious answer/explanation, of course.<<
Respond how? They are not the DOB and do not speak for the DOB. If your reporting skills cannot get to the bottom of this, what exactly do you want the TA to do?
2:11 There is a lot they can do and could and should have been doing for tenants for years.
ReplyDeleteWe need to move forward without them. They are only interested in being the next landlord and supporting the MCI's and dorms.
We need to follow Riverton's lead.
"What, exactly, do people think the TA and Dan Garodnick could do about this?"
ReplyDeleteGarodnick and the TA should do what Right and the Riverton TA are doing -- call out the many illegal acts by MacArthur Compass Rock and protect the tenants/constituents.
"What, exactly, do people think the TA and Dan Garodnick could do about this?"
ReplyDeleteGarodnick and the TA should do what Wright and the Riverton TA are doing -- call out the many illegal acts by MacArthur Compass Rock and protect the tenants/constituents.
His constituents are getting abused and they are unhappy with him. If Dan did nothing wrong he would have addressed his constituents on this on all of this long ago. If he has done something wrong he would ignore this. No doubt the Cuomo double play is in the works where you ignore ignore ignore then commence fear mongering to divert attention to something else.
ReplyDeleteSTR thanks for posting these documents.
ReplyDeleteTHE SYSTEM HAS TO CHANGE
We have a system where DOB aided Compass Rock in installing thousands of dorms, evicting middle class people and converting rent stabilized apartments removing them from affordable housing and aided Compass Rock in dumping tens of thousands of tons of toxic PCVST contaminated soil in Long Island.
They are destroying the people and the planet.
Scarier, the DOB is working to fast track RE permits even faster. With the absence of due diligence already that will only become more dangerous.
THE SYSTEM HAS TO CHANGE
>>Respond how? They are not the DOB and do not speak for the DOB. If your reporting skills cannot get to the bottom of this, what exactly do you want the TA to do?<<
ReplyDeleteRespond how? Respond in an open manner and tell us if they have, at least, seriously looked into the matter of these DoB applications. As to my "reporting skills," thank you, but my skills are very limited by the time I can put into exploring these issues deeper.
September 21, 2014 at 8:07 PM
ReplyDeleteAre you stepping up? Because who the f*ck else do you think's gonna research thousands of DOB applications?
His constituents are getting abused and they are unhappy with him. If Dan did nothing wrong...blah blah blah.
ReplyDeleteYou should speak for yourself. I am a constituent and you don't speak for me.
Have to agree with STR. 'Respond' could be something as simple as 'thank you for uncovering these DoB application discrepancies. Will look into this.' The TA seems to regard anyone else's efforts as upstaging them. If it isn't their initiative, they aren't interested. I believe they think they have a coup coming up. Garodnick has been meeting with Alicia Glen and some deal is on the horizon and when successful, this will give them new momentum. Well, we're going on 4 months down the road now and so far. no deal.
ReplyDeletemy skills are very limited by the time I can put into exploring these issues deeper.
ReplyDeleteApparently you and your readers think the TA is different -- that they have unlimited time, money and a limitless pool of volunteers to draw from. I don't know about the money, but as one of the non-TA people who tried to organize a response to the midlease rent hikes in front of the leasing office, I know firsthand that the number of ST-PCV residents willing to volunteer their time is very limited.
And before the excuses about how it's because the TA sucks or whatever start rolling in in response, let me remind you about the response to the attempt by a handful of committed STPCV residents to get an alterna-TA rolling a few years ago that wanted to devote itself exclusively to the QOL issues that the organizers felt were being neglected by the TA and are of so much interest to your always-complaining readership: there was NO response. It faded away to nothing. Just like Guterman's plan to start up an alterna-Ta that got exactly one sign-up.
Really, it's pathetic.
>>As to my "reporting skills," thank you, but my skills are very limited by the time I can put into exploring these issues deeper.<<
ReplyDeleteI know I'm asking for it by saying this, but the TA's skills and efforts are similarly limited by time. It's an unpaid volunteer job.
No, I am not a TA officer or even a TA volunteer. I do other volunteer work, and do not have the time to also work with the TA.
But I also don't complain about them.
I guess what I will probably never understand is why the people who complain about the TA so endlessly here, and who call for them all to step down, don't run for election themselves. If the TA were to step down, who exactly would take their place? Not anyone who comments here, I expect.
>>Isn't this about the time the TA says "ya know we're all volunteers".<<
ReplyDeleteI am NOT a TA officer or volunteer, just a tenant who has lived here for ten years.
But it is true, they are volunteers. If you are unhappy with them, why don't you vote them out and vote yourself, or someone else whom you think could do a better job, in?
"Respond how? They are not the DOB and do not speak for the DOB. If your reporting skills cannot get to the bottom of this, what exactly do you want the TA to do?"
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd like them to resign so we could get people in tenant leadership who can answer this question. There are so many things that could be done yet the PCVST TA has people as members and defenders who ask ridiculous questions instead of insisting on some action. Just copy the actions of other TA's if PCVST TA leadership cant come up with it's own ideas!!!
Dear Politicians and Tenant Association
ReplyDeleteYou are NOT my leader.
You are my representative.
So represent me. I want the illegal acts in PCV ST to be immediately addressed by you and to END them once and for all!
Has anyone contacted Riverton TA or Assemblyman Wright to see how we can follow suit?
>>Apparently you and your readers think the TA is different -- that they have unlimited time, money and a limitless pool of volunteers to draw from.<<
ReplyDeleteResponding on their Facebook in a clear and explanatory manner, instead of ignoring the issue, would be a good first step, and one that doesn't require unlimited time, money, volunteers, etc.
Alicia Glen and a deal? What? No There's no deal. Stop spreading rumors.
ReplyDeleteNo fan of the TA here, but this makes no sense...
ReplyDeleteThey are only interested in being the next landlord and supporting the MCI's and dorms.
Why on earth would the TA support mci and dorms here? Nope, this is not true I'm quite sure. Makes no sense. What would be their reasoning and/ or yours???????
"I guess what I will probably never understand is why the people who complain about the TA so endlessly here, and who call for them all to step down, don't run for election themselves. If the TA were to step down, who exactly would take their place? Not anyone who comments here, I expect."
ReplyDeleteOne has to be a member to run for election. Since I left the organization many years ago I can not run for office. I do however contact the elected officials who are supposed to be representing me instead of their own ambitions like Dan Garodnick. If the TA leadership stepped down I would absolutely be one of the volunteers to replace them as I am sure many others would be. The board of the TA has made it so replacing them is darn near impossible! Not really that hard to understand if you really wanted to. My guess is you are just here to defend the TA and try and reprimand those here who speak up against it as the corrupt organization that it is with Garodnick pulling the strings.
ReplyDelete"Are you stepping up? Because who the f*ck else do you think's gonna research thousands of DOB applications?"
A politician has the access and authority to demand this be investigated by DOI who has the time to do this because it is their job.
A thought just occurred to me. MCI's are based upon room counts in the building. I know they have changed the number of rooms in my building by installing walls. Over the coming weekend (sorry I didn't see this earlier) I will pull out old MCI's and compare the room counts with the latest MCI's. If there is no change, I would think the MCI's were filed falsely. If the room count is the same, I will have to do some more research.
ReplyDeleteYou'll never oust the TA leadership because they've rigged the voting process with staggered elections so that if a rouge element tries to instigate change, they'll be ignored and neutralized. Legal action, independent of the TA is the only way around that.
ReplyDelete>>Responding on their Facebook in a clear and explanatory manner, instead of ignoring the issue, would be a good first step, and one that doesn't require unlimited time, money, volunteers, etc.<<
ReplyDeleteSorry to harp on this, STR, but I honestly do not know what you are looking for the TA to actually say in response. You ask in your post title if we can "get to the bottom of this." But given that you seem to acknowledge that the TA does not have unlimited resources, how do you expect them to "get to the bottom of" this issue?
Again, what are you looking for them to say, exactly? If they just acknowledge that it is an issue, fine, but what good does that do if they don't have the time and resources to look into the issue?
>>Personally, I'd like them to resign so we could get people in tenant leadership who can answer this question.<<
All right, fine, but then what? Do you want us not to have a TA at all? Or are you planning to step up and run for the TA board?
Signed,
A Stuy Town tenant of ten years, not a TA officer
STR
ReplyDeleteResponding on their Facebook in a clear and explanatory manner, instead of ignoring the issue, would be a good first step, and one that doesn't require unlimited time, money, volunteers, etc.
Responding to what? Ignoring what? Did you post something on the TA FB? Did you contact them directly?
All right, fine, but then what? Do you want us not to have a TA at all? Or are you planning to step up and run for the TA board?
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have no TA at all then have one that just echoes the landlord. Like I said I can't run for the board as I am not and will never be a member of this corrupt organization!
>>Responding to what? Ignoring what? Did you post something on the TA FB? Did you contact them directly?<<
ReplyDelete1) Responding to the situation with partitions and the DoB filings. At least letting us know if the TA has looked into this in a serious manner.
2) Ignoring the thread on the TA's own Facebook that talks about this and is awaiting a response from the TA.
3) I'm not allowed to be a member of that Facebook as "Stuy Town Reporter," even though the head boss knows who I am. But the matter has already been brought up by members. The TA has so far responded in silence.
4) There's no reason to contact them directly, as they are aware of the issue. I also don't believe in hiding away such conversations, important to all tenants, in private emails.
Suing the TA is the only way to deal with it.
ReplyDelete>>A thought just occurred to me. MCI's are based upon room counts in the building. I know they have changed the number of rooms in my building by installing walls. Over the coming weekend (sorry I didn't see this earlier) I will pull out old MCI's and compare the room counts with the latest MCI's. If there is no change, I would think the MCI's were filed falsely. If the room count is the same, I will have to do some more research.<<
ReplyDeleteKeep us notified!
Even if the TA doesn't have the resources to investigate the dirty tricks and illegal activities of CR/CW, Garodnick's office does. I think that would be part of the job he was elected to do. By ignoring these issues he makes himself complicit.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's true that the turnout for the protest about the rent hikes was low, it should be kept in mind that the people who did show up were mostly longtime tenants who were actually not affected by these rent hikes. The market rate people who were the ones being gouged and effectively evicted did NOT show up.
ReplyDelete>>Suing the TA is the only way to deal with it.<<
ReplyDeleteThat would be a waste of money, time and resources. It really wouldn't serve any purpose other than to make CW very, very happy.
Is this something that Scott Stringer could look into?
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why you continually speak about re-inventing the wheel. There are NUMEROUS avenues available to you for filing complaints with the DHCR. There are also numerous avenues available if you question the legality of DOB actions. This does not require huge legal effort....just a few forms. My guess is that both the MCI's as well as the DOB approvals are perfectly legal.
ReplyDeleteWhat can the TA do? They can do what the Riverton TA is doing! The MCI charges are bogus.
ReplyDeleteScott Stringer looking into it depends on is role in the deal. No politician who had a role in it wants to or can investigate it. So it depends on that.
ReplyDelete3:48 If they were perfectly legal then why is Riverton suing? The MCI and DOB et al acts against STPCV are not legal. They are just unchallenged.
ReplyDeleteYou can file a form with DHCR regarding overcharges. We all did it. They'll document it and come back & state that the upgrade charges are legal. Not.
ReplyDeleteThen what do you suggest we do?
"MCI's are based upon room counts in the building. I know they have changed the number of rooms in my building by installing walls."
ReplyDeleteNot sure, but I doubt installing a "temporary" wall constitutes a change in DOB defined room count, use or occupancy.
Also, transients identified on a lease as "tenants" together with transients separately identified as "occupants" entitled to keycards seems a legal evasion of RS regs governing adult residency.
I can't believe that the Tenants Association hasn't even responded to this blog. They say nothing about it on their TA Facebook page. This takes "stonewalling" to an entirely new level!
ReplyDeleteWhat are they afraid of? If they have nothing to hide, then they should respond. Their silence speaks volumes.
This community has totally gone to the dogs, literally and figuratively.
ReplyDeleteWe have dogs all over the place, shitting and pissing wherever they feel like it and their owners don't clean up. We have the worst apology for a postal service anywhere in the US (I believe). The postmen/women leave mail strewn all over the place, partly because CW never updates the directory board and partly because the P.O. employees don't give a damn about putting mail in the correct boxes. Probably a formal complaint to USPS HQ in Washington DC is the best we can do at this point and hope that they take up the complaint.
We have skateboarders and bicycles zooming around the property, knocking people over and generally terrorizing pedestrians.
We have a Councilman and a TA that don't give a flying fuck about any of this.
I don't know where we go from here, but something has to be done. I am going to start by filing a formal complaint with the USPS about the lazy, stupid, incompetent letter carriers who work out of the 14th Street/23rd Street Post Offices and who should be fired. The so-called supervisors should be fired also. They are useless and stupid, just as is our "management."
11:44...Actually the TA has responded and often does respond...just not officially. See the remarks like...'what do you expect the TA to do'.
ReplyDeleteThere is just a leadership gap here. I served on the TA years ago. The old TA never viewed itself with the same self importance as this TA Board. And the relationship with Steve Sanders while friendly was always properly distanced. This board is being dominated by Dan Garodnick and at least one other board member whose style is aggressive, who clearly believes you get things done by pushing people around.
"A thought just occurred to me. MCI's are based upon room counts in the building. I know they have changed the number of rooms in my building by installing walls. Over the coming weekend (sorry I didn't see this earlier) I will pull out old MCI's and compare the room counts with the latest MCI's. If there is no change, I would think the MCI's were filed falsely. If the room count is the same, I will have to do some more research."
ReplyDeleteWhat we see as rooms may not technically and legally be rooms according to whoever makes the regulations. If these "temporary" walls do in fact change the room count, then the landlord would have to file with DHCR to change the number of rooms in the specific apartment. Then the MCIs would have to be recalculated, if that could even be done retroactively.
Compass Rock NYU Brokers advertise that you get your own room so it is an additional room. It needs to be counted as an additional room on the MCI. It is counted as an additional room by the landlord. It needs to be acknowledged and counted by DHCR to.
ReplyDeleteInsider Former Special Counsel to the Moreland Commission tells all
ReplyDelete".....For example, to most lay people, contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to a candidate through various loopholes and accounts in exchange for favorable legislation or lack of regulation, as Governor Cuomo did, is tantamount to bribery. This is how the real estate, telecommunications and gaming industries have operated for years. Legislative leaders rake in huge legal fees for unspecified work. Large corporations bankroll dozens of bi-partisan lobbying firms. Anonymous political spending by both parties continues to grow. As the Daily News reported, Cuomo donors have been awarded lucrative state contracts....."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/05/1327323/-Why-this-former-Special-Counsel-to-the-Moreland-Commission-supports-Zephyr-Teachout#
I can't wait for Goradnick's third term to be up and a new Councilman/woman in his place. Hopefully, the TA will go away at the same time and make room for a brand new TA that will actually DO something for the TENANTS they are supposed to represent!
ReplyDeleteJust wondering, are there any major differences between what CW/CR have done to Riverton and what they've done to us? Was Riverton purchased by ghouls and then abandoned with a ton of debt?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ September 23, 2014 at 10:43 AM said...
ReplyDelete"There is just a leadership gap here. I served on the TA years ago. The old TA never viewed itself with the same self importance as this TA Board. ... This board is being dominated by Dan Garodnick and at least one other board member whose style is aggressive, who clearly believes you get things done by pushing people around."
Maybe you can answer 1-2 elephant in the room questions dodged and evaded by Garodnick and the TA for 3 years.
By what logic did they conclude the only way to preserve ST-PCV affordability is Brookfield selling an expensive condo to 15%-20% high earning ST-PCV residents at price levels they strategically calculate will be unaffordable to 80%-85% middle class ST-PCV residents?
ST/PCV tenants are seated at the table holding $3 Billion Fannie/Freddie funding, maybe more, exclusively dedicated to help current residents afford to remain living in their homes. That amount allocates to around $270,000 Fannie/Freddie funding per apartment, maybe more. That amount should cover 2/3 ST-PCV purchase price, maybe more, and delivers incredible leverage and support for tenant ownership and self governance.
Remember Dan thanking Senator Schumer for cutting predator access to Fannie/Freddie and sucking all the oxygen($) out of their purchase schemes? Wasn't it strange how Dan neglected to thank Senator Schumer for explicitly setting aside that same oxygen($) to help ST/PCV tenants? Senator Schumer catapulted a tenant purchase into a lead seat at the table.
Now Garodnick and the TA are playing a con game handing over to Brookfield the $3 Billion Senator Schumer set aside to help ST-PCV tenants. Brookfield will be happy. Brookfield will get everything. Tenants will get nothing. Some tenants will get worse than nothing.
ST-PCV residents shouldn't have to ask or thank our future benevolent Brookfield landlord for promising NYU dorm leasing will end. We should order our Brookfield junior partner, or a different management agent competing for that lucrative contract, to end NYU dorm leasing or get fired.
BTW - $3 Billion Fannie/Freddie funding Garodnick and the TA are taking from tenants and giving to Brookfield is the same $3 Billion Fannie/Freddie improperly approved for Speyer's ST-PCV purchase. Although late, Senator Schumer wanted to undo some harm and forced Fannie/Freddie to do the right thing. Now it goes to Brookfield.
Brookfield - Speyer
No difference.
Compass Rock NYU Brokers advertise that you get your own room so it is an additional room. It needs to be counted as an additional room on the MCI. It is counted as an additional room by the landlord. It needs to be acknowledged and counted by DHCR to.
ReplyDeleteYou do understand that this would INCREASE the dollar amounts that CWCapital/Compass Rock could collect for approved MCIs.
Has anyone reached out to the Riverton Assemblyman or the Riverton TA? There is a lot we can learn from them, a TA who is doing it right. Has anyone done this already?
ReplyDeleteThe TA fb page is full of everything about all kinds of stupid shit, but just about nothing about this. Peter Stuyvesant only comments to chide and tsk tsk posters who get snippy with each other. I think it's safe to say we do not have a TA any more. Maybe Gordanick or the Big Bertha sits on them and silences them, but it really is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, even if there is a condo conversion led by Garodnick, the TA and Brookfield, I would not trust any of these parties and would certainly want no part of it.
ReplyDelete12:24...Here's my best guess about the TA-Brookfield deal. Garodnick (but not the present TA board) was a leader in the so-called tenant -led bid for round 1 when Tishman-Speyer won the bid. Not that any of us were obligated to buy, but the Garodnick-TA bid was 4.4B and it lost. So the Garodnick takeaway was: if you want to win, you have to be the high bidder. He reasoned that a plan like Guterman's wouldn't win because though tenant-friendly, it would never bid high enough to win. He figured 3.4B wasn't going to do it. So he needed a higher roller. Enter Brookfield. But this plan (hatched among Garodnick, Paul-Weiss, Moelis & Broofkeild) was absolutely dependent on several factors. Brookfield would never go the lower-cost co-op route because it wouldn't generate enough money for them to bid high. It would only go condo which meant primarily pitching to the Market Raters. Hence, you have John Marsh referring to the MRs as the 'new stabilizers'. In other words, the long timers head to the dumper; everything needed to pitched to the MRs who presumably would have the money & incentive to buy and the time for the investment to grow & pay off. As a bone for the malcontents among the long timers, part of the deal was to include 'some' low income sales. Also, it would have helped if there were little or no bidding competition. Also would have helped if all the tenants heard this plan and embraced it as wonderful. No doubt Garodnick & the TA are trying to salvage their plan working through the mayor's office, but at this point the plan is pretty well shredded as Fortress is competing, CW isn't listening, the MRs may NOT have the money to buy at prices Brookfield would like, and the Brookfield plan can hardly be said to have been embraced.
ReplyDeletePoster @ 3:15 pm: You probably have summed up the whole situation! Well, this longtimer has no interest in buying. As far as I'm concerned, the TA and Garodnick can kiss my ass.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ September 24, 2014 at 10:02 AM said:
ReplyDelete"At this point, even if there is a condo conversion led by Garodnick, the TA and Brookfield, I would not trust any of these parties and would certainly want no part of it."
You have no choice.
Every ST-PCV tenant is a "part of it." You can be an active participant or a passive participant. Either way, no ST-PCV tenant can refuse participation.
The Garodnick-TA-Brookfield "partnership" conducting a bum's rush theft is counting on tenant apathy.
Every ST-PCV tenant will be a Brookfield victim.
3;15 pm. not true re; long timers. We are long timers, so are our friends here. We would all buy. you think we're going to put up with this __it forever? No.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points 315p.
ReplyDelete>>3;15 pm. not true re; long timers. We are long timers, so are our friends here. We would all buy. you think we're going to put up with this __it forever? No.<<
ReplyDeleteSeriously? This long timer is NOT buying, and I know other long timers who are not buying, either.
I know many long-timers who wouldn't dream of buying into this Money Pit! Even those who thought it may be nice to buy and bequeath to the kids and grand kids have had second thoughts since the place has been turned into a dorm/airbnb shithole with ever rising costs. Add that to the fact that it is built on a toxic dump and run by sleaze balls who do everything and bribe every city department and slime all politician to let them get away with it! You would have to have a death wish for your kids and grand kids to leave them THIS!!!!
ReplyDelete>>Seriously? This long timer is NOT buying, and I know other long timers who are not buying, either.<<
ReplyDeleteThat's fine, if you can afford the rent. But many, maybe most, MR tenants cannot afford to pay $4K+ rents month after month after month. For them, the only financially viable options are to buy or to move.
Also -- I don't know what you mean by "long timers." I am an MR tenant who has lived here for ten years. I guess it's all relative; maybe to you, I am a short-timer. But it feels like a long time to me, and I can't afford to go ten more years -- or even one more year -- at these rents.
For those of you that say "good riddance" to MR tenants who talk about moving: just think about who will move in when we move out.
4 53: why are you so pissed off about this? we worked hard, saved and would buy our home because we love it. You don't want to do same, OR CANT, THEN DONT. You now sound like an 8 yo
ReplyDeleteYeah. Like I'll buy my apartment in FLOOD ZONE A.
ReplyDeleteNOT.
www.pcvstliving.com website is calling the new room added via temporary wall a "Den" not a "Bedroom" - 1 Bedroom w/Den, 2 Bedroom w/Den, 3 Bedroom w/Den.
ReplyDeleteFloor plans and outside brokers call the new room a "Bedroom" not a "Den" - Bedroom 2, Bedroom 3, Bedroom 4.
"Den" not "Bedroom" - Is that just semantics or a changed legal description?
There's plenty of ways to push paperwork through DOB bureaucracy.
Yes, I've noted that "Den" usage. Of course, a "den" is a room, but the change would seem to indicate some legal maneuvering. The diagrams of the apartments still refer to this type of "den" as a "bedroom," however.
ReplyDelete>>we worked hard, saved and would buy our home because we love it.<<
ReplyDeleteCan I ask you if you have stayed because because of the hope of buying?
There is no difference between the Tishman plan and the Brookfield/Dan plan. Both supported and will continue to support the overcharges and mci increases of the past 5 years and next 25 years. Both Tishman and Brookfield/Dan have a business model based on evicting the middle class and removing affordable housing units from the City.
ReplyDeleteHave pointed out many times before...a condo conversion will cost plenty. Higher purchase price, higher closer costs. So the question as always is...how much can you afford, how much are you willing to pay? 700K for your 2 BR in ST? 1M? 1.2M? Easy for people to crow here. Another thing to sign on the dotted line.
ReplyDelete>>Can I ask you if you have stayed because because of the hope of buying?<<
ReplyDeleteSTR, I am not the person you asked that question of, but I am a MR tenant who would answer "yes" to the question. When we first moved here with our two kids ten years ago, the apartment was affordable. It no longer is, with our income.
But depending on the asking price, of course, we would buy our apartment if Stuy Town converted. We have savings for a significant down payment. Again depending on the asking price, I think there is a good chance that our mortgage payments would end up being less than our current rent -- maybe significantly less.
If that were the case, yes, we would buy. I read the many (many many) posts here calling this place a dump. But that is not our experience. Maybe we are just lucky, but in our building, which is on the 20th St. Loop, we do not seem to have NYU students (or if we do, they are quiet), and the building is always really very clean.
We also love living in Manhattan.
So yes, we have continued to renew our lease in the hopes that Stuy Town would convert. For a while there, it looked like a real possibility to me. But now, with Fortress in the picture and the current lawsuit with the junior lenders, I doubt it will be any time soon, if ever.
As a "long-term" tenant that has lived in PCVST my entire life (mid 30's) and lucked out by getting an apartment legally through a Right of Succession (yes, I hit the lottery with this one!), I must admit that it would be a hard sell for me personally. My salary along with my wife's could easily afford to buy, but I worry about investing in something where the infrastructure is so fragile (and old).
ReplyDeleteSure the building exteriors can withstand a ton, but it's the plumbing, electrical, etc. that worry me. Once the piping goes and needs to be replaced, how much can we expect common charges to rise?
We can sit here and argue all we want about whether we would buy or not, but until the day comes where we have the option, we should realize that there are a ton of things that can happen.
Long timer here and I would buy if the price is right. I would also sell it at the most possible profit allowed as soon as possible after I retire in 6 years. I've tried to get used to the shit and piss and I just can't. It's just not me somehow (although I respect the preference of dog owners to live in a sewer). Since that's not going to change I'll leave. No point in staying and constantly complaining about the strips of piss, piles of shit, and shit stains. Have at it dog people.
ReplyDeleteI think the TA has quietly crawled away and no longer exists. Shame.
ReplyDelete>>Sure the building exteriors can withstand a ton, but it's the plumbing, electrical, etc. that worry me. Once the piping goes and needs to be replaced, how much can we expect common charges to rise?<<
ReplyDeleteBy a lot, I would guess. Yes, people have to take a very good look at this "investment."
As a so-called old timer I surely wouldn't buy into this dump. I know many, many rent-stabilized folk and to a man ( and woman ) they say it would be insane to triple or even quadruple their monthly rent to own a piece of this rotting pie. First of all, a coop -condo conversion will NEVER happen. The real estate interests and our slimy pols ultimately see this as an 80-acre gold mine, a developers dream.
ReplyDeleteThink Battery
Park City on the Lower East Side...billions to be made off of the backs of the middle-class.
I'm a long timer (36 yrs) also interested in buying and I know several more like me. The price is everything. Also would not make a move without seeing an engineer's report projecting maintenance & repair costs over the next 20 yrs.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm afraid all the talk about conversion isn't relevant. CW will sell to Fortress. Fortress will keep it rental and we'll be beaten to death with MCIs and truckloads of students.
ReplyDeleteWhat would be the point of buying into a crappy old place like this that will be torn down in a few years in order to make way for high-rise glass boxes?
ReplyDelete10:51 pm YOU DON't have to buy in the 'flood zone'. you don't have to do anything. But I can assure you, I've been in Real estate for 20 years, there are many many many people who will buy your place at top dollar in the flood zone.
ReplyDeleteConversion is a lock because it is the superior business model for return on investment. Developers would get major chunk up front with apt purchases and continue to make a fortune on management fees. Common charges on purchases units will exceed old School monthly rents.
ReplyDeleteThis place is going to be torn down. Don't stress over buying your apartment. A few short years down the road and PCVST will be nothing but a memory! A humongous student dorm will be on the site because NYU is the Beast that has to be fed. I'm surprised myself at that because it isn't even such a great university any more.
ReplyDeleteAs a longtime rent stabilized tenant, all I can say is that it would not benefit me one iota to buy my apartment. I will continue to rent as long as I can. If and when the RS laws are abolished, then I will, of course, move. However, I don't think the property is going to be around for that much longer. The property is old, its maintenance is high and its infrastructure is rotting rapidly. All these transients are using up so much more of the electricity, water, etc., than the buildings were built to sustain and the place is going downhill at a very fast rate.
ReplyDeleteI expect that the entire two projects - Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town - will eventually be razed and luxury condos or NYU dorms will be built on the site. At that point, I will happily relocate, though I won't go as easily as "management" would like!
This place is a condemned site. Don't hang on in the hope of buying because that is simply not going to happen. No matter what Garodnick and the so-called TA tell you, they are not on your side or anybody's side but themselves. This entire property is "Dead Man Walking" and don't kid yourselves otherwise.
The TA will never be shamed into responding to this, STR. The reason being that they have no shame and no response.
ReplyDeleteWhen Garodnick says "JUMP" they say "HOW HIGH." Such a pity because it used to be one of the most admired tenants associations in the entire city.
6:56pm: these slithery, slimey, bloodsucking ghouls ain't getting a penny out of me over and above my real RS rent. Ever.
ReplyDeleteRemember two things. People will sell their soul to the Devil AND no one cares about anyones's financial well being. There are NO feelings when it comes down to business, and there is NOTHING that is going to benefit us. So keep on thinking on the "somewhere over the rainbow" mentality, and see where that's going to get you. Waste of time.
ReplyDeleteAs the "lottery guy" at the bodega store say's, "gooood luck my friend".
Who is donating to the MacCraken scholarship that is financing the NYU leases that are subletted to students? Who is laundering their $ through MacCraken?
ReplyDeleteDoes any reliable source here actually know if The Tenants Association still exists, and to what capacity?
ReplyDeleteSTR @ September 22, 2014 at 2:22 PM
ReplyDeleteIMO, You're asking a legal/DOB question that would have been more appropriately directed to Dan G's office to do the research. It seems to me to be a legit question and am not sure why you didn't just contact Garodnick's office directly instead of going about it this roundabout way.
This may be just a matter of it's not what you ask, it's how you ask it. If you want to make it about the TA refusing to play the tune when you requested on your blog or FB, go ahead, it's your blog but that just seems kind of petty. If you're really serious about getting to the bottom of this, just call Garodnick's office and write about the response.
I completely disagree, 11:21AM. The TA represents the tenants, has access to tenant lawyers, and has initiated action against our landlords in the past. Garodnick represents his entire constituency, not just ST/PCV. If ever there would be a legal case brought up against the landlord(s)in the matter of DoB filings, it would be brought up by the TA, not Dan's office. I also have zero faith in Dan or his office, a level of faith I'm getting about the TA, as well, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThe TA can also state very simply what you have stated if the TA feels that Garodnick is the correct channel to go through on this matter. So far the TA has not responded in any way to 1) this blog posting that it's very much aware of, and 2)its own Facebook members asking the same questions. Ignoring such an important issue (at least to some of its own members) is extremely telling...in a sad sort of way. This is our TA "in action."
Turn out the lights
ReplyDeleteThe party's over
They say that
All good things must end
Call it tonight
The party's over
And tomorrow starts
The same old thing again
The property will never be razed, the politics involved will prohibit this. However, rest assured, a new owner will conduct a conversion and reap a fortune. The deathwatch will start for the remaing renters.
ReplyDeleteThe property won't be razed now or in the immediate future, but I wouldn't bet on it somewhere down the line. These buildings are old and not up to contemporary "standards." And the expanse of land is just too precious to be left alone by real estate and a "progressive" vision of Manhattan. Many of us may not be around by then, but I bet in fifty years or even much less (like twenty years), we'll see a serious move being made to raze all the buildings in ST/PCV.
ReplyDeleteThe silence is deafening.
ReplyDeletePossibly, the TA hasn't yet returned from summer vacation.
ReplyDeleteSTR @ September 26, 2014 at 3:13 PM
ReplyDeleteLike I said, if you really cared about this, you'd contact Garodnick's office directly. It looks to me like you just want to play games.
And the game is?
ReplyDeleteBTW, in case you didn't notice, I have zero respect for Dan at this point. Besides, he's more busy these days putting out press releases in the hopes of becoming the next mayor. You could say I loathe a politician who votes against extending term limits, but then uses the term limit extension to his advantage. Take a look at what's happened to ST/PCV under his watch these last years. Are you satisfied?
ReplyDeleteAnd, sorry, but the TA is the entity to approach this issue on. The TA represents, directly, this community and should be concerned about all issues that may screw around with DoB filings and add excessive rooms to the makeup of the complex.
Going back to Garodnick, if you want him contacted, you do it yourself. I await with the proverbial "bated breath."
STR, I don't usually comment because there are always so many weird comments, often by people, I suspect, without anyone with whom to communicate so perhaps it is all they have. Either way, your work here is commendable. I would upbraid the TA people for accusing you of playing "games" but who knows who belongs to what group? In any case, it's clear that many people depend on you for information so thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhat's in all this for Garodnick though? I mean, why the H does he care and even get involved with ST &pcv? Doesn't he have bigger and broader nonsense to on his agenda?
ReplyDeletewonder how many apartments on property are empty and how long they 'sit' empty for.
ReplyDeleteGarodnick has two potential feathers in his cap for promoting himself as a viable mayoral candidate: 1) the East Side zoning business, and 2) ST/PCV. My hunch is he will try, and is trying, to play both sides--the RE big business side (via his partner Brookfield) and the "voice of the people" side. For us here in ST/PCV the best outcome for him would be a TA/Brookfield condo conversion with a moderate amount of units locked in (at least temporarily) as "affordable" rent-stabilized housing. This scenario, whether people like to admit it or not, is the death of affordable housing in ST/PCV. There is no way to spin this otherwise, though people have tried. Garodnick is, I believe, sincere about protecting the seniors here, but knows that once the seniors die off, RE (Brookfield, his partner) takes over. I also wouldn't doubt that, secretly, he'd be in favor of demolishing this complex somewhere down the line to make way for glorious high-rises filled with people who can afford them. He sees himself as "progressive" in the necessity of building up this city and will welcome 100 floor towers, as long as (playing both sides) there's a mini-park nearby with a water fountain.
ReplyDelete>>STR, I don't usually comment because there are always so many weird comments, often by people, I suspect, without anyone with whom to communicate so perhaps it is all they have. Either way, your work here is commendable. I would upbraid the TA people for accusing you of playing "games" but who knows who belongs to what group? In any case, it's clear that many people depend on you for information so thanks.<<
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for your comment. I apologize to those who may feel the blog is "stuck" on a particular issue, but I believe it's an important one, and with the TA ignoring the request/plea to respond, even on its own Facebook page to its own Facebook members, it is apparent that the TA is just not up to the task of being a viable representative of this community. Worst, the TA is excessively secretive, so one has no idea of what's going on with them. This organization should be transparent and able to converse in a forthright and honest manner with any tenant who may have issues about ST/PCV. Instead, the TA is the one playing "games," by their silence and lack of transparency. If the TA is at a low point, with not enough volunteers or people who have time to look into matters that concern the tenants here, then it should say so. There is no shame in stating something of the sort. The honesty would be appreciated. However, if the TA is secretly banking on a condo conversion and keeping silent because of this or feels it won't be "bullied" into a response, then shame on them.
On a personal note, I'm taking the time to relax a bit from writing new posts, though I certainly will post further once some important news occurs, other than the usual over-crowding of ST/PCV, noise, dog crap, construction hell, etc, that's been ruining the quality of life here for such a long time. I guess we are all waiting to hear what the Mayor will come up with regarding ST/PCV.
A clarification: When I mentioned Garodnick and Brookfield, it was only in relation to ST/PCV, and not the East Side zoning business.
ReplyDelete"a mini-park nearby with a water fountain"
ReplyDeletenice reference to that 2.6 million dollar folly he for which he just cut the ribbon
STR - I am not hoping you deviate from the issue or this post. I and we agree with you ABSOLUTELY 1000%. There is nothing going on with the TA, they are full of shit and not transparent and not even having the decency or balls to report or answer this.
ReplyDelete??? what would Dan gain politically if stpcv went coop or condo? nah.
ReplyDeleteDan would hold a press gathering and state what a victory it is for tenants to own their own apartments in ST/PCV and that the destabilization of the property by predatory landlords is now over. He would also mention that a certain amount of units will remain as affordable rentals, but probably not give the number of units that will remain affordable. He will be considered a champion of the people, even though the common, working class people who once made up this complex won't be able to afford to buy their apartments, if any of them are still around in any large numbers.
ReplyDeleteOh, and he'll purchase his apartment.
ReplyDeletedcf maybe next time you could find a better way to compliment STR without insulting the others commenting who do a lot of work too or maybe you could do some work too. str deserves your compliment. but the others don't deserve your insult.
ReplyDeleteto everyone who has been involved in exposing the real picture of what is going on, thank you, STR and those commenting.
RS does not and will not secure affordability for stpcv only a conversion, however flawed, will.
ReplyDelete????? NEW CHARGES added to rent bill
ReplyDeleteCh8 addl recon con offs. $49.30
REALLY. W.T.F. STR please devote a page to this bullcrap. Has anyone else received this?
Could you explain this charge a bit more? What were the exact words?
ReplyDeleteThat's it Str. I typed it exactly as it's listed
ReplyDeleteAnother round of Mci's coming and this is part of them?
Ftr, we called ST offices and leave messages, no one calls us back.
"He will be considered a champion of the people, even though the common, working class people who once made up this complex won't be able to afford to buy their apartments, if any of them are still around in any large numbers."
ReplyDeleteI realize you're anti-conversion, but how could you possibly know that the "common working class people" won't be able to buy? Don't you kind of have to know what the offer is first?
I know there are MCIs coming around the corner, one for elevators. But this doesn't seem to be one of them. It could be an internet charge for the newer apartments. Anyone familiar with this charge? I've not seen it.
ReplyDeleteAlso (and this is not a joke) perhaps the TA can explain to you. It shouldn't pose any problem for them if they know. Their contact info is on the sidebar of the main page of the blog.
Just want to open my post to say that I am the one who suggested to Mr. Guterman (on that past STR tread) that he have a meeting set up for the tenants with him and his team for a Q&A. And as I said at that post, I am always open to new ideas regarding the future of PCVST. Still waiting for a date, time and place for that meeting. So I am no TA troll. For those who always say that the TA sucks, I am also waiting for that alternative organization to be constructed. If so, I will definitely give it a look. But that requires a lot of hard work, doesn’t it? And for those who always say that the TA represents a very small percentage of PCVST , well, guess what, the vast majority of tenants here, short term AND long term, are lethargic and clueless. They wouldn’t join ANY tenant’s organization, no matter how well positioned. I seem to be the only one in my building who contacts PS (example, doors left open for moving, trash left outside tenant apartments, etc.) and maintenance (example, elevator problems) for issues that affect my building at large. It’s exhausting and very frustrating.
ReplyDeleteRe that new monthly charge, as of today, 9/27/14, I have not yet received my October rent bill. Very strange-I am old school RS. If I see it, I'll email the STR a PDF of it.
Woa. An internet charge this high? Monthly? CR / CW and really sticking to these leases eh? Is it the 'newer' leases or all of us.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Ita there are much more MCI coming and they won't stop. Thanks to our ever ready TA non stop fighting this. NOT.
DHCR approves every damn Mci they're given. Hmmmmmmmm.... guess were all getting ___ed here.
Internet charge for what? We already pay for the internet.
ReplyDeleteTbh, if this comes my way, I'M NOT PAYING IT. STAND UP AND FIGHT PEOPLE. DON'T PAY THIS .
>>Woa. An internet charge this high? Monthly? CR / CW and really sticking to these leases eh? Is it the 'newer' leases or all of us.<<
ReplyDeleteHold on, cowboy! I wrote "could be". I have no idea about this charge at this moment. Still waiting for my rent bill.
>>I realize you're anti-conversion, but how could you possibly know that the "common working class people" won't be able to buy? Don't you kind of have to know what the offer is first?<<
ReplyDeleteI expect the offer to be beyond what could be acceptable without financial burden and/or mortgage that will take decades to pay off. I could be wrong, of course, but I doubt it.
>>I have not yet received my October rent bill. Very strange-I am old school RS. If I see it, I'll email the STR a PDF of it.<<
ReplyDeleteStrange is correct. I also usually receive my rent bill by this time. So now I smell one or two MCIs coming up.
I think we need to talk with Mr Guterman and with the Riverton TA. They know what they are doing and are doing something about it.
ReplyDeleteInternet ? Nah. Elevators, yes, Pipe replacement, yes. Lobby renov, yes. Laundry room, yes.
ReplyDeleteGet ready folks.....
And str, stop worrying, there'll be no conversion. This dump will be a rental for another 20+++ years.
This recent agreement between the TA and CW did not cover all MCIs:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stpcvta.org/ta/post/stuyvesant-town-peter-cooper-cw-capital-settle-millions-mcis
We need to get a handle on all the mci past , present and future. These fuckers are raping us.
ReplyDeleteThe two MCIs coming up are for roofing and elevators.
ReplyDeleteI'm sick and tired of the TA and their attorney pretending to oppose the MCI charges with weak arguments that NEVER win.
ReplyDeleteThey have never won an MCI rejection.
We need a real TA and better attorney who wins instead of pretends to put up a fight then calls a bone they throw at us a "big victory" when it is a scrap of a bone.
But hey if we roll over and pay for water valves for NYU toilets then we will take anything up the a** so of course they are throwing MCI charges our way when we roll over every damn time!
We need Guterman who knows the business!
I think we should ask the Attorney General candidates their intention for PCVST. Ultimately the AG signs off on the conversion plan.
ReplyDeleteWill they sign off on a plan that includes NYU purchasing their leases in what could be the biggest laundering scheme in the history of NYC!!!!!!!!!!!! My vote goes to the candidate that will approve a plan with NO DORMS and SCREAMING BROS or restore the community to a Penn South arrangement.
Then this MCI SHIT will never end. Next as you say the roof and elevators, then the lobbies, then the laundry rooms, then the windows, then the hallways, carpets, wallpaper....
ReplyDeleteThis is WHY THIS PLACE WILL imho remain a rental forever. It's a landlords dream to be in bed with all our politicians (and ours is) and the DOB and DHCR. Our affordable apartment , which was, is not going to be in the future. DO THE MATH people.
The MR tenants are really getting screwed royally. How is it they are not even putting up a fight? Are you MR earning so much here & now that the bogus increases and bogus leases mean nothing to you?
ReplyDeleteThere aren't enough people buying without NYU buying their leases fr the Brookfield plan.
ReplyDeleteWhen the inevitable conversion ocurrs, wether to pony up and thus build equity or continue to rent and die of a thousand little cuts in the form of continual RGB increases ... That's the question.
ReplyDeleteThe MR are not putting up a fight because they want the MCI's because they think for them it is temporary until they buy.
ReplyDeleteWait until they see the purchase price to buy is more than they expected. What comes around goes around MR.
Every one of these MCIs should be held up for scrutiny. If you went to a restaurant and found all kinds of extraneous charges on the check, you wold query them, right? These ghouls depend on us to just pay them without any scrutiny. We should all demand a thorough breakdown of the charges before we pay any of them.
ReplyDelete>>NEW CHARGES added to rent bill
ReplyDeleteCh8 addl recon con offs. $49.30<<
Looks as if it might be related to air conditioning (just a guess).
My rent bill for October, which I received in the mail just yesterday, does not include any additional charges. BUT, there was a separate notice in the envelope that reads:
______________________________________
Dear Resident,
Every October 1st, the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) sets a new monthly rate for your air conditioning charges. This rate may be adjusted upward or downward depending on whether the "Price Index of Operating Costs for Rent Stabilized Apartment Houses in New York City", prepared by the New York City Rent Guidelines Board, shows an increase or decrease in the cost of electricity. The changes to your billing will appear either on your October or November rent statements depending on the timing of the release of the information by the DHCR.
For inquiries or more information, please call 1-866-ASK-DHCR (1-866-275-3427).
Sincerely,
CompassRock Real Estate LLC
_____________________________________
I am a MR tenant who has lived here ten years. There were air conditioners installed in our apartment when we moved in. We have never been charged for air conditioning or electricity. Yet!
>>The MR are not putting up a fight because they want the MCI's because they think for them it is temporary until they buy.<<
ReplyDeleteRight, I just love paying a higher rent every month! It's so much fun!
10:53 totally agree.
ReplyDeleteThis wait and see what they do next only puts us behind the eight ball. We need to demand the DHCR, TPU and file a lawsuit if we have to in order to get the mci charges, the renovation overcharges scrutinized. What is happening at Riverton is happening here!
Am I to understand that our rent is going up by an ADDITIONAL $49.50 for the stinking air conditioners? Hardly used mine this summer and I'm betting we get little to no heat this coming winter.
ReplyDeleteIt won't only be the a/c charge, it will soon be electric, gas, water and a few others. Sticky this.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people live here???
ReplyDeleteSTR, just wanted to be clear because my previous comment sounds a bit tone deaf upon rereading it a few days later. I really do thank you for your hard work and I feel there is a serious lack of information, but for your blog, which is why we no longer pay dues to the TA.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Anonymous, 1:11, I said SOME of the comments are weird, not all. Don't be insulted, I probably didn't mean you, although how would I know? In any case, I DO do something. To be specific, I am an assistant organizer of tenants at Penn South, where my parents live, in addition to being a Mom of two teenagers and I work full time, but see how comments can get misconstrued? In any case, thanks STR for all you do.
>>Why do people live here???<<
ReplyDeleteDo you live here? If so, why?
>>NEW CHARGES added to rent bill
ReplyDeleteCh8 addl recon con offs. $49.30<<
All right, hold on -- I am the commenter who made a guess, at 9:53 AM, that this charge might be related to the air conditioners. I have no real knowledge about this, and on further thought, I realize my guess may well have been wrong.
This DHCR Update gives an amount for the monthly allowable charge per air conditioner -- $27.89 -- that does not correlate with the $49.30 charge.
The DHCR Update also says "an owner cannot collect the charges now for an air conditioner if the owner did not begin charging for the air conditioner at the time it was installed or within a reasonable period of time thereafter." I don't know, but that seems to preclude the landlord from suddenly imposing this charge out of the blue.
So really, I have no idea what that $49.30 charge is for, or what "Ch8 addl recon con offs" means.
To Anonymous @ 9/27 3:52 PM, who received this charge on the rent bill, have you called the number on your rent bill and asked what it is for? That seems to be the best first step.
>>Ftr, we called ST offices and leave messages, no one calls us back.<<
ReplyDeleteIf a mysterious new charge appears on your rent bill, just call the number on your bill (212-420-5000). You'll be prompted to press 4 for questions about your rent bill. Just do it, and ask them what the charge is for, and what "Ch8 addl recon con offs" means.
And if you don't mind, please come back here and let us know.
It is now Monday, and I have yet to receive my rent statement. Does anyone know why?
ReplyDeleteDidn't the poster with the said charges post that they did call and left messages. THEY DON'T RETURN OUR PHONE CALLS. DO YOU NOT KNOW THIS? ESPECIALLY THOSE PERTAINING TO THE RENT BILLS.
ReplyDeleteIs Pcv and St now separate?
ReplyDeleteYes, I too call that number and there is never a human. Just a machine taking messages. No return calls. A friend says she got a human male recently - he said he'd call her back. She's still waiting.
ReplyDeleteIf they don't return calls about any new and unexplained and unexpected charges, simply don't pay them.
ReplyDelete>>Didn't the poster with the said charges post that they did call and left messages. THEY DON'T RETURN OUR PHONE CALLS. DO YOU NOT KNOW THIS? ESPECIALLY THOSE PERTAINING TO THE RENT BILLS.<<
ReplyDeleteThat poster said he or she called the TA. Are you under the impression that the TA sends out the rent bills, and would know what some obscure charge code means??
If you have a charge on your rent bill that you don't understand, call the office that put that charge on there. The number to call is even right on the rent bill.
Yikes.
Re: ch8 charges - I think that may refer to the Chapter 8 apartments that pay below legal rent and get free cable. Are we paying for this?
ReplyDelete