I knew this would happen. Dan shows his true colors:
A key city pol threw his support behind plans for a glitzy 63-story skyscraper next to Grand Central — all but guaranteeing approval for the massive tower.
Councilman Dan Garodnick (D-Manhattan) and developer SL Green said they’ve reached a deal for the modern office building dubbed One Vanderbilt under which the developer will kick in $220 million for transit improvements at Grand Central.
“East Midtown is back. For too long this area has been stuck. It is still an important commercial center, but zoning rules have kept much from happening,” Garodnick said.
The Council zoning subcommittee voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the tower and zoning changes that could allow other buildings up to the same size along Vanderbilt Avenue from E. 42nd to E. 47th Street, though developers will have to get approved for a special permit for each one.
More at this link:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/vanderbilt-zoning-premilimanarily-approved-article-1.2211178
That's it. Watch the super towers being built all over Midtown east. More disruption, more congestion, more mega chain stores, more rent to be paid--and more money for big real estate and more donations to our politicians. Less air, less sun, less mom & pop stores, less affordable housing, less feeling like a human being.
But, perhaps, we'll get a mini-park with a waterfall wedged in somewhere.
Dan's friends at the REBNY must be very pleased.
78 comments:
Slimy little bastard. I'll be so glad when he's gone.
TA supporters... are you still around?????
No doubt he will try to rezone us right out from being a residential community. ugggggh
That ruins the whole skyline and the corridor in one fell swoop. This is a dirty deal with someone trading something for another thing because nobody in their right mind with a love for New York City would ever ruin that regal, quiet corridor and take down those beautiful old stonework buildings for this cheap generic made in china skymall. Some people have really bad, cheap design taste.
What is the point of zoning in the first place when it is undone easily? Zoning means nothing in NYC.
S L Green and Fortress had a chunk of the Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper village mezzanine debt as investors in the Tishman Speyer gamble they could evict most of us, watch elderly die, kill the community and parks. S L Green and Fortress are not only unscathed but have politicians helping them recoup their investments off the backs of hard working class tenants.
The relationship between the investors and the politicians disgusts me more than I am disgusted by how they raped Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town twice with their sleazy RE deals and that says A LOT.
They made a disgusting investment that blew up in their face and the politicians bailed them out at our expense with our money! S L Green would make us look like the cheapened Vanderbilt Corridor. Vanderbilt should petition to remove their name just to distance themselves from this vulgarity.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/stuyvesant-town-effective-default-loan-moved-special-servicing-mezz-lenders-sl-green-and-for
"Look for the next batch of CRE numbers to be the worst ever as Tishman and BlackRock move the loan backing Stuyvesant Town to special servicing, in essence throwing in the towel, and pushing the affordable home complex into default. According to Fitch the property's worth has plunged from $3 to $1.8 billion. This means that not only Tishman and BlackRock have lost all their value, but Fortress and SL Green who own a $1.4 billion mezz loan in the property are also wiped out. Also, as Fannie and Freddie are the largest holders of the securitized mortgage, look for another set of requests for governmental bailouts out of the nationalized GSE's. "
S L Green Fortress Tishman Speyer get bailed out and we get pushed out. That is the fault of the politicians working for REBNY. It was all a scam! the bailout, the servicer, the transfer of the deed, The only thing that was REAL is the rent roll increased by 50% in a little over a year. Can't do that without "key" political help.
With how S L Green, Brookfield, Speyer Fortress REBNY move politicians around like chess pawns you have to wonder what the return favor will be, they already came out saying they back pawn S for Mayor so next they move their pawn G from city council to fill S's spot - ?
..because of course the voters do not have a say..
that is before we voted against REBNY queen Quinn.
No doubt next election we must vote against all incumbents with dirty hands in the bailout of RE masterfully deceitfully paid for by StuyTown residents.
How could they destroy that unique corridor?
Then again this unique property was destroyed by the same people.
Then why zone in the first place?
It is a never ending "me to" insecure political competitive ego mentality and it will drive all originality out of this once great city. Vanderbilt corridor should have been treated with better regard in design.
Way to sell out the city to be greased by a fair weather friend that will care less about you when you are no longer in office. It is your office they like, not the political operative du jour occupying it.
What a disaster and shame.
ICI
What? that is messed up. I can see tearing down a rotting building but the carbon footprint and waste of energy and materials this will cause in a time of climate crisis is the most stupid thing ever. Do they even consider carbon footprint of these construction projects?
This is a big unnecessary wasteful selfish project.
Dear Everyone who does zoning for the City,
Your job is useless.
Your decisions mean nothing.
You will be rezoned.
Probably for commercial purpose.
To make the rich richer.
To block the sunshine.
Sincerely
What does it matter
Yeah, it seems like zoning is a thing of the past now. At the beck of the REBNY, our politicians will change zoning any time.
Truly, Manhattan will be altered very dramatically in the near future. Only stores for the rich and mega chain stores will be able to survive. The middle class is history here and just transported to Manhattan during rush hours to work for the rich. Dan has probably already heard in private from the REBNY that they will support him for the mayoral elections (while they are saying the same thing secretly to Stringer).
Garodnick, Stringer, et al are dirty. Dirty, dirty, dirty. They are corrupt and without conscience because there is no accountability in NYC. They are bought and paid for by the RE industry and they are nothing more than political whores. Remember this at election time, folks. Get out there and vote, but do NOT vote for any of the current incumbents, no matter what office they are running for. They are FILTH and they do not represent their constituents one iota.
OT - lost our lease today Midtown office space - THE entire floor has been sold for 37 million. Not rented. Sold. Chinese investors.
Really? Did anyone expect that Dan would do anything different? He is the epitome of corruption in NY politics. He doesn't have an honest bone in his body.
Do the politicians really think we believe their spin of a revitalization of Midtown East? This is all about greed for foreign money laundering scam. There are perfectly solid buildings being torn down and perfectly strong businesses kicked out for foreign payoffs. Real Estate is a dirty money laundering operation and just because they got their politicians to write them laws to make it all "legal" to do does not make it ethical or moral. Dirty Politicians wrote dirty laws for money laundering real estate industry. Welcome to New York.
"a federal program that grants green cards to foreign investors who put up at least $500,000 for a U.S. project."
WOW we treat immigrants many hardworking who bring us delivery food or bus tables or landscape or many other labor-intensive jobs like criminals while politicians are selling citizenship to rich immigrants (foreigners who don't live/work here but may party here every so often)! This government just stripped away the value of being an American citizen. Who developed this federal program, anyone know? They have zero shame and don't hide their greedy quest for money. They aren't even doing anything good with the money, America is a mess of an infrastructure and a mess of an economy for Americans but we have state of the art offices for foreigners and the best tourist attraction towers in Miami. So what if the country is unlivable. It is a party mecca for the shallow! Dan's politicial agenda is bad for PCVST, bad for American people, bad for American businesses,good for moving huge sums of foriegn money.
Out for himself, and himself only. What a phony.
Nobody with a shred of decency or ounce of common sense would tear down the buildings on Vanderbilt corridor.
Of course new spin on de Blasio housing plan to build majority of housing for minority of population, a mere 1%, is approved by REBNY. They get an absurd subsidy that will serve to hurt the infrastructure budgets and the people. No matter how they slice it or spin it this is a terrible plan for the People. It is really really good for the wealthy.
“I think you have to look at the entire benefit program,” Steven Spinola, the group’s outgoing president, said Thursday. “It’s 25 years. That’s 25 years of no taxes.”
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/05/8567610/why-de-blasios-affordable-housing-proposal-won-over-developers
NY and China share culture of greed and the same practices of corruption too. Big loophole for Husbands, wives children to get around rules on mixing government and business. corrupt bank JP Morgan had a "sons and daughters" program recently in the news for bribery scandal jobs to kids in exchange of favorable laws from their governing parents.
May 7, 2015
Daddy Issues: Corruption in New York and Shanghai
By Evan Osnos
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/dean-skelos-corruption-new-york-and-shanghai
"Really? Did anyone expect that Dan would do anything different? He is the epitome of corruption in NY politics. He doesn't have an honest bone in his body."
You are so damned right. When the next elections roll around I will vote for anybody BUT the incumbents or anyone endorsed by them. We need a total clean sweep of the City Hall and Albany and a few thousand gallons of Lysol to wash away their stench.
From every angle it is a small minded plan.
Stuyvesant Town is no longer a residential community.
It is a full fledged business operation.
Thanks Dan.
The head of the DOB should be fired for permitting a good building to be destroyed,
wasting money,
wasting materials,
wasting energy,
wasting people who could be hired to work on better more worthy construction jobs,
wasting resources,
There are run down buildings and areas better suited for this project's goals but doing that requires better people in city planning more suitable to both the economic needs of New Yorkers and the environmental needs of the planet.
Agree
This is a VERY big waste!
Our politicians are anti-American. Good old USA is in the toilet thanks to the greedy, filthy bastards in DC, Albany and City Hall, NYC.
Might be a good idea to look again into the stock portfolios of politicians. JetBlue stock for starters.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/goper-dean-skelos-stake-companies-business-state-sheldon-silver-article-1.438894
How much business do you think Home Depot owner Ken Langone and their suppliers are getting from PCVST and when is someone, anyone going to audit the obviously overcharged inflated apartment renovations done by the guy who now works at NYU?
"Nobody with a shred of decency or ounce of common sense would tear down the buildings on Vanderbilt corridor."
You are absolutely right, of course. However, we are talking about Garodnick and his sugar daddy RE pals. There is not a shred of decency or ounce of common sense between the whole lot of them!
Miami Dade built a tourist attraction tower in waters we should be protecting and preserving to send a message to China? Has he heard of telephone or internet?
Berkowitz is a fool.
Off topic but in the news
If an employer refuses to pay a living wage which is the minimal decent thing to do, then they are not the type of employers or businesses we want in NYC. The Mayor is right on this one and we have to ride it out until we eliminate the greedy employers oppressing the working class and attract new employers of decency and dignity who pay proper wages.
http://nypost.com/2015/05/09/job-placements-drop-30-percent-after-de-blasios-living-wage-commitment/
The late great Jackie Onassis loved New York City and fought hard to protect two of its greatest iconic features, Central Park and Grand Central, from greedy developers and politicians building towers that kill them. She is no doubt rolling over in her grave.
"as being staged events for the media that produced no results."
Sounds familiar, all too like the local politicians who stage events and produce no results for PCVST residents.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/albany-watch/2015/05/08/cuomo-bharara-skelos-sheldon-silver-corruption-three-men-room-albany/27018947/
Adios three amigos
Are you sure thats not a rendering of the Oval in 2020?!
Let's hope it is more than three we get to say adios to
So Garodnick is rubber-stamping a boondoggle for developers and a money-laundering scheme for foreign oligarchs and plutocrats. I guess those are the "constituents" he really cares about. Vile little man. No wonder he is so cozy with CW and their ripping-off of PCVST. His "protests" to Andy Mac are so laughable and transparently contrived.
Much ado about nothing here, methinks. In the last several years two gigantic office towers went up at 42nd and 6th, and a third is almost done. That's just a couple of blocks away. Zero outcry about those. Because after all, it's midtown Manhattan, it's all office towers, almost no one lives there (Ever see a supermarket in midtown? Wonder why?)
Under Bloomberg, proposed rezoning gave away the farm to the developers, with only a vague promise that there would be transit improvements and other public benefits. And you know we can really rely on the good will and civic-mindedness of real estate developers to deliver on those shallow promises...
So, rightly, Dan put the kebosh on it, and at least now we know those public benefits are defined and guaranteed.
I mean, I'm not a huge fan of three term Dan, and i'm 1000% in agreement that the flow of foreign money into NYC properties has been disastrous for New York, but I don't see this as a big deal. Seems more like you're really stretching it here to villify our councilman.
Minimum wage is $8.50 in NYC and that's a joke. Some fantastic city we live in.
Are the Senators homes near the compass Rock University?
Funke is so new to the Senate he may not have realized how many of his own Republican colleagues had bought homes in Florida, especially in the 45-mile southwest corridor between Fort Myers and Naples, where they reportedly hang out in gated golf-course communities and do Senate business. Lobbyists have figured it out and bought homes there as well, including the three alluded to in the complaint against Skelos.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/wayne-barrett-dean-skelos-senate-closet-full-skele-article-1.2215967
"The Council zoning subcommittee voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the tower and zoning changes that could allow other buildings up to the same size along Vanderbilt Avenue from E. 42nd to E. 47th Street, though developers will have to get approved for a special permit for each one."
Bloomberg's zoning changes were never in doubt. By delaying them, Garodnick set himself up for higher rewards from grateful developers now more beholden to him.
"...developers will have to get approved for a special permit for each one."
Inserting the "special permit" tollbooth is a slick political move.
Each Vanderbilt developer will have to demonstrate gratitude feeding Garodnick first to green light their "special permit" before proceeding to routinely feed the existing DOB bureaucracy.
Spot on, 9:30AM.
>>So, rightly, Dan put the kebosh on it, and at least now we know those public benefits are defined and guaranteed.
I mean, I'm not a huge fan of three term Dan, and i'm 1000% in agreement that the flow of foreign money into NYC properties has been disastrous for New York, but I don't see this as a big deal. Seems more like you're really stretching it here to villify our councilman.<<
Most of what Dan does is for his own political gain. See the comments from Anon 9:30AM. And what has Dan really done for his STPCV constituency? Yeah, he gives nice speeches at photo-op events, but just take a look around STPCV and realize the rapid loss of affordable housing here. In general, Dan has been a failure in dealing with the challenges in this complex, and has taken the TA down with him. Oh, btw, have Dan and Marsh continued their door knocking tour of STPCV, or has that speedily gone the way of other bullshit publicity activities that disappear with the wind?
I don't think anyone has vilified the councilman at any point on this blog. a lot of facts and truths have been uncovered from a deliberate lack of transparency. Almost everything I read was backed up by news articles and neighbors in the community. None of the facts or truths have been addressed by the council man or the Tenant Association, just ignored as if to give it no credibility when addressing it head on would have more credibility.
I don't think anyone is being vilified in PCVST, in City government, or in Albany. I think the people have a right to know any and all the information of our government officials and how what they do is effecting our lives.
So thank you STR
Look at the numbers. Tenants who want to buy LOSE. Tenants who want to renting LOSE. Tenants who wanted to raise families or enjoy the hoes they lived in for a lifetime and have been forced to leave due to unfair rent increases LOSE. Look at the numbers and it is so obvious the past years have not been for the good of the tenants.
Garodnick comes from a white shoe law firm that's heavily into real estate and this guy clearly acts like he thinks he could charm a rattlesnake. I'd say...pretty well in the pockets of the real estate interests. When he runs for mayor, he'll rely on the fact that the rest of the city doesn't know him.
Hey everyone...I'm inviting you to take a walk around the front of PCV. Across from the fountain you'll see an area decimated by dog waste where they're trying to grow grass again. West of the fountain you'll see an area fenced off, but new people here don't care about fences. They lift their dogs, their kids and themselves over the fences to do whatever they like. Long timers here remember how we used to respect the fencing. Just another division between the RS and MR residents.
Take a look at 360 & 370 1st Ave entrances. Covered with dog piss and dog shit stains. The once grassy area in front of 370 is now completely barren. This is what dog shit and dog piss does. And on any given day you can find some nice dog turds on the surrounding walkways. And of course there is no one from Public Safety looking. Thank you Compass Rock and thanks to your brothers in crime Tishman-Speyer. You've ruined PCV. You suck.
Oh this is awful.
Having a huge problem with noise and upstairs neighbors in peter cooper. Can anyone who has called 311 post how it helps and the procedure? Do they fine tenants, warn? Thank you. Life is hell here.
The truth is neither libel nor slander. STR speaks the truth.
The politicians including Dan are named and called out for saying one thing while doing another AND saying one thing while doing nothing to help real estate wealthy developers and hurt New York communities. They are not being vilified. They are being held accountable for their own actions they try to hide.
http://nypost.com/2015/05/03/save-central-park-from-the-attack-of-the-monster-buildings/
As the owner of a small business if my employees behaved this way they would be fired. Politicians work for us. Shouldn't they be fired for this?
May 10, 2015 at 12:39 PM
Sorry but that's about all this blog is all about now. STR has it in for Garodnick and the TA. It seems personal.
omf HELL. If I have to call Security one more time for the kids above us playing tag and football with NOT CARPETs I swear I am going to lose it.
What kind of parents allow this?
DG has always represented this community well and gotten results in the face of great obstacles. No echo chamber of armchair cranks, with god only knows what motives, can change this.
If a councilman knocks on a door and nobody answers, does it make a sound?
I look forward to seeing Danny Boy doing the perp walk for pandering to foreign money launderers and the developers. No wonder we are such a rudderless ship in STPCV. He is Management's idea of a "good" guy.
>>DG has always represented this community well and gotten results in the face of great obstacles.<<
Please list Dan's "results."
I dislike dan but the blog is becoming overwhelmed with him and it's pointless. he can't help us, won't help us why not move on from the dull complaints and help ourselves? First off, what is up with this donaldA and noise issues? For many many did i say MANY of us,this is a real problem. not a laundry room problem which we can somewhat fix but the obnoxious neighbors we all seem to have who continue to be a nuisance. Where are the signs that someone said we should post? can we post our own signs in the buidlings and if not why not? Calling 311 and a lawyer if not fixed soon.
DG was the first and only Democrat I ever voted for. Needless to say, that mistake will never be made again.
These despicable politicians want us "little people" to recycle every little thing and compost food; they want to do away with plastic shopping bags (so we have to buy bin liners!) and do our bit for the environment, etc. All well and good. BUT at the same time they plan to build ridiculously high buildings that will block the sunlight from the streets, harm Central Park by casting shadows (it will affect the trees and wild life there) and subject us New Yorkers to endless months, years, decades of filthy construction pollution, snarled up traffic pollution, the inevitable construction accidents and wobbly cranes. As far as I'm concerned, they can all go and f*ck themselves to hell. Please excuse my crudeness, STR. My blood boils when I stop and look at and think about the hubris and audacity these criminals have and THEY are supposed to be serving US and looking out for our wellbeing! They are all corrupt, bought and paid for criminals. The one exception I can think of is Liz Kruger. She may be the only honest pol in this Tammany City and State.
I have said it before. These times need unprecedented actions. We have been a community under siege by RE and their big lobby firm REBNY. Is Meredith Kane even around anymore or just working behind closed doors still?
We need someone in a position of city office who is not under RE's control to show some backbone and declare PCVST either a Penn South like co-op or restore it as a rent stabilized community, roll back rents pre-Roberts, kick out the dorms, bring the population to sustainable level by replacing the students with young military veterans - singles and young families as this once proud community served returning veterans before, it could again. That would be unprecedented and take someone with real courage to make it happen. Are any of the politicians veterans who would do this for our serving sons, daughters, sisters, brothers? Who would do this because it is the right thing to do? Even the most shallow of politician would have to be enticed by the headlines they would get for that.
I TOTALLY agree with 12:41
Another newspaper news journal publisher for big business being schizophrenic and shadowy
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/234661/overlap-between-lobbying-teams-of-glenwood-american-lawyer/
Ok, so obviously the time has come for a change. I am willing to help with that. I am a 35 year old male that has lived in PCVST for 35 years. My family has lived here since the complex opened. I work for the US Government in a real estate role, so I don't have any ties to DG or anything the REBNY says.
I am not looking for anything from this blog... just support. I used to work for PCVST, so I know my fair deal around the situations that are upcoming based on my experience. I have set up an email for our new TA. Please email me at pcvstta@gmail.com if you have an interest.
PCVST, I'll post you info on the main page at the next update.
On this one I have to agree with the Mayor. This is what a lot of people have been saying on this blog. Politicians have been "advocating" aka words and photo ops - while the Jack Rosen's (real estate tycoon and Chairman of the American Jewish Congress have been getting "results" for their self-interests.
I would rather get "results" from a politician then "advocacy".
Hillary Clinton has a long career of advocating for progressive issues—the minimum wage, issues important to women,” said Jack Rosen, a New York-based real estate executive and longtime donor to Bill and Hillary Clinton. “De Blasio has a right to speak out on issues he cares about, but Hillary Clinton doesn’t need any advice. She has her own inner compass on this.”
What we needed is for Preet Bharara to have gotten Eric Holders old job and have the DOJ investigate the financial scam that wiped out the middle class in PCVST.
Short of that, residents are screwed in the upcoming events.
We need Preet Bharara to clear out REBNY from PCVST and Albany.
10 11 please set up a site, blog or fb.
We will need a lot of help and fighting power in our corner if we are to survive upcoming events. PCVST at gmail do you have a really good plan of action we could see because I will be there if so.
We are up against people who supported and backed Sheldon Silver and his corrupt way of doing business. The Marsh Steinberg Tenant Association "hired" Sheldon Silver's PR firm who are also the PR firm for most or all those in the REBNY party photos, to trick and dupe us. They hired a REBNY lawyer to negotiate a tenant bid which resulted in construction and new buildings as planned by Tishman Speyer in our open spaces and $100 million increase in the rent roll.
How are we going to stay in our homes and stand up to this big network of corrupted political reach?
We need a class action lawsuit even though we got burned and screwed on Roberts after the ruling. What else can we do with a new TA?
Berlin Rosen-- John "Rosen’s wife, Debbie, is Silver’s deputy chief of staff."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-10-28/nyc-firm-helps-de-blasio-go-from-obscurity-to-frontrunner
The De Blasio Kane Paul Weiss Berlin Roosen Garodnick Marsh Moelis Stringer and more and more lack of transparency says it all. We are getting screwed.
Of course a big chain cheap (and gross) pizza chain is opening across from NYU Stuyvesant Town Dorm Campus. The family owned and better quality mom and pop pizza shops are being replaced by big chain late night drunk food places for college students. We are a low class down scale cheesy (a pun) strip mall more and more.
Not surprisingly the top guy at Dominos and the top guy at Home Depot (Langone - Cuomo BFF and NYU RE grabber) are of the same extremism.
Yippee! I am with you STR!
Did you read about the Riverton victory?
Stop complaining and move. You'll never come close to putting the toothpaste back in the tube. You're never going to win.
With a new TA we can make a difference. I am in. Who is starting it? And 1:01 you sound like you are losing and getting desperate. We are not moving. You leave.
STR your Sunday news reading tops them all.
To state the obvious, these towers are an obscene example of disrespect and disregard for the environment in many ways.
1:01 what?!
"You're never going to win"
This is not a game. It is people's lives, homes, safety and sanctity your are stealing. That does not make you a winner. It makes you a loser.
@6:59 The cycle of abuse has only gotten worse with each passing year and there are no advocates fighting for the tenants. Even phony Dan sold you out. Enjoy your marching band on the oval today. You lose.
If they can fuck ithe environment so much, isn't the recycling hypocritical? It's like offering a band aid to someone (the planet in this case) who is bleeding from a severed carotid
This isn't 1970
Toothpaste tubes are no longer metal
It is 2015
You can put the toothpaste back in the tube.
The crap done here can be undone it just takes one politician who is not corrupt to be brave enough to do it. I won't hold my breath on finding the one politician in this state.
Toothpaste tubes were metal in the 70s? Did you get your toothpaste from China?
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