PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POST WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONS TO IT PERIODICALLY.
CHECK FREQUENTLY.
Unless these have been updated, these are the room requirements for apartments in NYC, courtesy of the REBNY!....
http://www.nycblogestate.com/2010/09/what-is-room-in-new-york-city.html
Time to start measuring if you are in a renovated, wall-partitioned ST/PCV apartment!
From the above website: "Every room must have at least one window that opens onto a street, yard, or court on the same lot."
Hmm....
And here's another diagram of a similar Stuy Town apartment. This is taken directly from PCV/ST's official website today:
And the window in the "Living/Dining Area"?
------------
Interesting discussion at:
Some points being made:
"No, you forget that a class-a dwelling ( ie. a residential apartment)
needs to have a living room, which has to feature both at least one door
and one window and be at least 150sf (unless you have another room that
size.) That said, you can use your living room as a mancave, and use a
large storage space to watch TV. It won't be a 3 bedroom apartment.
It will be a 2 bedroom apt with a small living room and a large storage
closet."
"Legal issues aside, a windowless living room is downright depressing IMO, much worse than a windowless bedroom."
"I can't cite you the exact chapter of the building code, but there was a
lot of ink spilt when the city cracked down on illegal temporary walls
in roommate situations, a couple of years ago. An apartment is required
to have a living room to be a legal class-a dwelling, and a room must
have at least 2 means of egress, including a window, to be a legal room.
You also need at least one room to be 150sf."
Just be aware that that thread is three years old, but if the rules still hold....?
-----------
More info, from the time when Stuy Town was in the news regarding the removal of illegal wall partitions.
The money quote for us now:
“Keep in mind that the elimination of a common living room to create a
three-bedroom, zero living room apartment may result in a rooming-unit
situation that is not permitted by the Housing Maintenance Code,” Mr.
Sclafani [spokesman for the Department of Buildings] said. “In addition, since each apartment is generally required
to have at least one room of at least 150 square feet, the installation
of a partition may run afoul of this requirement in certain cases.”
----------
And here's the Code:
Are the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village living rooms partitioned with walls in compliance? You be the judge!
---------
More!
ST/PCV advertises their living room converted to bedroom space as "flex".... The above diagram advertises the apartment as a "2 Bedroom Flex," which means 2 bedrooms with one bedroom converted from a living room space. In reality, you are getting 3 bedrooms.
Now check out this site:
Which states:
"You’ll need a window. By law, in order for a room to be inhabitable, it must have a window. Make sure that wherever you’re going to build a wall, a window will remain in each room."
--------
And even more, including videos of a 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom flex:
---------
UPDATES: 7/16
This screen shot is taken from a YouTube upload from the official ST/PCV presence there: "StuyTown".
You can see that the wall partition here has windows at the top. The question then becomes does the use of these kind of windows comply with this: "Every room must have at least one window that opens onto a street, yard, or court on the same lot."
The full video is here: https://youtu.be/AkfgTP014FA
Also: Can these windows be easily opened?
------------
More: The above apartment seems to be, or has been, a model apartment to show prospective tenants if we go by the YouTube video below:
You will notice the furnishings are basically the same. But you will also see this:
This is an alcove/mini-room that is separated from the "living room" by French doors, and a portion of the previous living room, now additional bedroom, by a door. The only entry/egress, if all doors are closed, is the hallway that leads to the bathroom and other bedroom (the original 1 bedroom of the apartment). And there's definitely no window in this area. Not sure under what code this mini-space, with a chair and lamp, falls under.
----------------
UPDATES: 7/17
Here's a splendid look back at the first pressurized wall controversy in ST/PCV:
Note the August 19, 2008 entry, which states:
"And to get around the windowless thing, the living rooms have ceased
being called living rooms, thankyouverymuch. You may now refer to them
as 'foyers.'"
But, as you can see in recent diagrams, "foyers" are not mentioned.
---------------
NYC code: "A 'foyer' is a space within an apartment or suite of rooms used as an entrance hall directly from a public hall."
Now, take a look at this official PCVST video again:
Is that "foyer" (which is not called a foyer in diagrams) used as a simple entrance hall?
---------------
Here's a 1 bedroom converted to 2 bedroom, with a "living/dining area" (no foyer mentioned):
249 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 249 of 249HAHA of course Garodnick jumped onto Cuomo's bandwagon!
@July 24, 2015 at 10:55 AM
>>Any mention of the word "Guterman" on STR brings out a Garodnick-TA-Brookfield troll attack. Clearly, they still fear his affordable coop proposal...<<
Sorry but only one or maybe it was two families signed onto his plan so please don't start trotting out the "Garodnick-TA-Brookfield troll" bullshit."
-----
This 10:55 AM comment is precisely how Garodnick-TA-Brookfield public relations trolls operate. First, notice how mentioning the "Guterman" word triggers an immediate salivating, pavlovian response to attack with lies and distortions.
Guterman was asked to generate tenant pledges that could be sent to City Hall demonstrating genuine tenant support for a genuine tenant led purchase delivering genuine tenant led ownership sponsoring a genuine, self governing, middle class affordable coop conversion. Guterman never produced that document. Instead, he essentially sent out what looked like a contract wherein tenants retain him to be an effective tenant association. It seemed only 1 tenant signed Guterman's service contract and he walked away.
None of that means an affordable coop maximizing tenant affordability and purchase participation isn't far superior to plans hatched by Garodnick-TA-Brookfield that are so secretive the tenants have no clue why they have to be kicked in the teeth bailing out Brookfield's terrible $25 million investment supporting and cheerleading Speyer's plan to boot all of us out of our homes. Kicking out tenants' teeth is just Brookfield's introduction.
So Guterman never sent out pledges requesting tenant support for an affordable coop conversion, but that won't stop lobbying trolls from claiming he did and that only 1 or 2 people supported his plan. Their dishonest client's false narrative cannot be challenged because it's indefensible. Brookfield shares our values? That's sick.
Anyway, it's not Guterman. It's the possibility tenants might rally around any tenant-friendly plan maximizing affordability that threatens the Garodnick-TA-Brookfield condo scam. That's why the lobbying trolls still jump attack Guterman whenever his name is mentioned. His proposal still represents middle class affordable ownership and immediate self governance.
Ask Garodnick and TA board members how much unused PCVST development rights are worth. TA business partner Brookfield knows exactly what they are worth. They probably already cut verbal deals with nearby property owners, including the Moelis brother booting Ess-A-Bagels out of their 40-year location in his building across 1st Avenue.
Another shift in NYU admitting ownership
Stuyvesant Town is not an off campus residential apartment complex anymore (well it hasnt been for a long time but now they are admitting it in print). Stuyvesant Town is a full fledged "apartment style (NYU dorm) hall"
From the NYU 2015 2016 Meal Plan
"Residents (excluding freshmen or first year students) in apartment style halls equipped with kitchens (Alumni, Broome, Carlyle Court, Coral Tower, Gramercy Green, Greenhouse, Greenwich, Lafayette, Palladium, Second Street, Senior House, Third Avenue North, University Hall, Stuyvesant Town, Washington Square Village, and Affinia Hotels) may select any of the meal plan options or choose not to participate."
Let's see the contracts from your 2006 NYU deal Danny boy.
NYU could have been a great school under more ethical leadership. Now it is scarred by a decade of corrupt real estate deals and a full out assault that wiped out a working class population the size of a small city, 30,000.
>>The readers of your blog and everybody else except for one household out of 25,000 "rejected Guterman outright." Blaming the TA for that suggests that the TA has more influence with tenants than you'd care to admit or that we can't think for ourselves.<<
You missed my point. Are you saying that the TA has considerably less influence than a blog? Surely, had the TA embraced Guterman's plan, the membership would have (mostly) embraced it, too, just as the membership has embraced the Brookfield plan. There would have been a town hall meeting, with the local pols present, including Our Man Dan, and a lot of rousing hand-clapping for Mr. G and his plan. Town & Village would be covering it, too. I have no doubt that had the TA supported Guterman, tenants would have gone along.
Tenants did not reject Guterman. Dan rejected Guterman so Marsh and Steinberg rejected Guterman. His plan was never presented as an option to the entire "whole" community. If it were, tenants would have said hell yes, penn south coop plan is highly successful for working class so hell yes!
1:54pm: I think the point is that the TA Facebook concerns itself with trivia. Any comment or query of substance concerning the deteriorating QOL here is either dismissed or ignored.
They could have done right by us too but they chose to sell out our homes to fill their coffers
http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/50-more-years-housing-affordability-penn-south-hoylman-gottfried-bill-signed-governor-
Penn South is a successful working class business model and it is the right place where the tax exemptions should be, not in Dan's towers.
off topic but another bold action that is deeply flawed
http://hotair.com/archives/2015/07/24/cuomo-raising-minimum-wage-only-for-fast-food-workers-by-executive-action/
The point is the Tenant Association Board under John Marsh and Susan Steinberg supported a Tishman Speyer mezzanine debt investor in Rob Speyer's predatory plan to help them continue Robbie's plan while Robbie ran away from his financial responsibilities.
The results speak for themselves. Penn South successful working class community.
Dan, Marsh, Steinberg bold plan wipes out PCVST working class population and installs commercial businesses.
Guterman's vision far and away bests the con played on PCVST residents.
Bottomline
Guterman Penn South Plan would have been successful for Tenants.
Tishman Speyer's NYU plan Dan and Marsh carried out is successful for REBNY, Cuomo, NYU Langone, NYU, Fortress, Brookfield,
.....everyone but Tenants.
Steinberg has to either denounce Hoylman / Garodnick or step down. She played along with ripping out the Oval trees so I vote step down.
Exactly right.
"You missed my point. Are you saying that the TA has considerably less influence than a blog? Surely, had the TA embraced Guterman's plan, the membership would have (mostly) embraced it, too, just as the membership has embraced the Brookfield plan. There would have been a town hall meeting, with the local pols present, including Our Man Dan, and a lot of rousing hand-clapping for Mr. G and his plan. Town & Village would be covering it, too. I have no doubt that had the TA supported Guterman, tenants would have gone along."
>>Steinberg has to either denounce Hoylman / Garodnick or step down. She played along with ripping out the Oval trees so I vote step down.<<
How so? The TA could have done nothing to prevent those Oval trees and bushes from going. I did hope, however, that Dan would have tied himself to one of the trees in protest. Great photo op missed!
To lay the cable for fios the trees had to be ripped out. Fios cable will be old technology out of date within a few years. Probably replaced by Google wireless. Verizon got away with a steal of a deal from NYC and our Oval trees too.
http://www.bbpmag.com/property/prop1108.php
-Chief among those improvements has been the rollout of Verizon’s FiOS fiber optic service. With 110 buildings and 11,232 units rewired, the Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town overlay constitutes Verizon’s largest urban multiple-dwelling-unit project to date. It required roughly 9 miles of fiber optic cable, 110 hubs, 330 distribution terminals, 28 miles of hallway molding and about 4 miles of electrical metallic tubing conduit.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verizon-brings-its-super-fast-fios-internet-services-to-new-yorks-stuyvesant-town-and-peter-cooper-village-57080062.html
I agree with the commenter on Steinberg. What I find most troubling is their opaque way of operating in silence. Steinberg and Marsh should have at the very least issued a statement, a formal statement, on the residents point of view on the commercialization of the Oval with the Verizon FIOS installation and concert series. Not to mention the Fios hard sell tactics and Verizon promotions and booths at our entrances exploiting tenants and exploiting our property. It lacked good taste.
Steinberg and Marsh at the very very least could have issued a statement on behalf of tenants. They didn't even do that. Tenants opposed the Oval Massacre. The TA remained silent so their silence = approval.
Uber won because they bullied and intimidated the City Council members. The Speaker Viverito called the Mayor during his trip to the Vatican to say the council can't take the heat from the multibillion dollar company marketing and pr campaigh so the City Council will not cap the number of cars on the road.
"Ms. Mark-Viverito, who never took a public stance on capping Uber’s expansion, telephoned Mr. de Blasio during his trip to Italy on Tuesday to tell him of her opposition to holding a vote, according to an official familiar with the call. Her office told council members that Ms. Mark-Viverito believed the cap would have passed, but that it would have subjected lawmakers to unnecessary political blowback."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/25/nyregion/uber-deal-strains-ties-for-de-blasio-and-mark-viverito.html?_r=0
In other words the City Council bends and breaks to please multibillion dollar companies. This is not a very strong City Council except for the few outspoken as Ydanis.
And Jumaane Williams who stands up for NYC too and he fought hard for tenants and staying outspoken even after Albany screwed NYC. Albany screwed NYC again with this bullying bullshit ads and flyers to our council to bully them into backing down and doing a study which Albany just completely squashed by regulating Uber state wide. The council and NYC got screwed again by Albany,
Multibillion dollar Uber did what multibillion dollar REBNY does.
Parading out the littler ones, with false advertising about regulations hurting the smaller landlords / smaller drivers but really Uber and REBNY are looking out for their conglomerate's continued reaping of billions.
Cheap shots taken by Albany against NYC Council.
Albany sinks lower and lower.
Garodnick's position on issues goes whichever way Albany wind blows. No surprise he jumped off the fence the instant Cuomo entered his position.
Let's look on the bright side: with all the self-absorbed eyes glued to the smart phone types and the bridge and tunnel crowd using Uber, there will be more yellow cabs available for those of us who whistle a hail and just want to get around Manhattan.
More on the Garodnick promoted Tishman Construction accident at Canadian REIT / SL Green One Vanderbilt
"The force of the collapse caused the workers to fall about six feet from scaffolding, the spokesman said. The men were rushed to Bellevue Hospital, with what fire officials described as serious but not life-threatening injuries.
John Gallagher, a spokesman for Tishman Construction, which is overseeing site work, described the injuries as “minor” and said the wounded workers would be released from the hospital today.
Gallagher disputed the city’s claim that the ceiling had “collapsed,” but refused to address questions on how the incident unfolded. He did not respond when asked if a safety manager was present.
The contractor will fined for “failure to safeguard all persons and property during construction operations,” the buildings department said.
The 22-story office building, also known as 33-49 East 42nd Street, was purchased by the REIT in May. The building is one of five in the process of being demolished to make way for the firm’s proposed One Vanderbilt development, a skyscraper that would rise 1,500 feet above Grand Central Station. SL Green recently received approval to rezone the five-block area surrounding Vanderbilt Avenue near the iconic transit center.
In April, four construction workers were injured at another property that is part of the development site, 331 Madison Avenue."
- See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/07/24/ceiling-collapse-at-sl-greens-one-vanderbilt-site-injures-at-least-two/#sthash.Tovmp8zv.dpuf"
- See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/07/24/ceiling-collapse-at-sl-greens-one-vanderbilt-site-injures-at-least-two/#sthash.Tovmp8zv.dpuf
Vanderbilt corridor will become a dark midtown alley.
NYU students have been given assignments for years on redeveloping Stuyvesant Town. In 2012 Michael Storm ripped out every tree in every open space corner for buildings.
The NYU Urban Design and Architecture Studies assignment is for proposals to integrate Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper Village into NYC after evicting all working class rent stabilized tearing it up and out, inside and out. Garodnick NYU planned this for years.
http://cargocollective.com/michaelstorm
The NYU Urban design student interned at CIVITAS which is strange since their mission is to protect residential quality of life and greenery, not replace green space with concrete public walkways and building extensions. Then again they protect the upper east side and not downtown.
Still, NYU designs to pave and build after NYU students illegally harassed us with inspections to renovate and evict comes as no surprise. Thanks Dan. Why don't you just show the remaining tenants the redevelopment plans to monetize this asset, our homes, the plans that you have reviewed for years.
http://civitasnyc.blogspot.com/2013/04/civitas-intern-spotlight-michael-storm.html
the link
How much longer is Garodnick going to be in office? I hope he slithers away back into the sewer he came out of when his term is over. He wouldn't have had a third term if Bloomberg hadn't overturned term limits so he could buy a third term for himself. What a cesspool of corruption this city is. Absolutely unbelievable. What's the betting there will be some kind of "arrangement" worked out between Garodnick and Stringer at the end of their terms? I'd vote for Charles Manson before I'd vote for either of them.
Over on the TA FB page they are still waffling on about the stupid restaurant that John Marsh took his Mama to.
I noticed that there was very little said about the lady who won a rent abatement from CWC because of the noise and disruption to her apartment during the building of the bunker. You would this would be something they would be quite excited about. I am guessing that this is being muted down to a very low key because the TA, especially Marsh and Steinberg, were in with management when it came to the building of the bunker. The TA is most definitely NOT on the side of tenants. In fact, it is almost as much a shill for management as the official PCVST FB page is. There's a lot of censoring goes on on the TA FB page too. Add to that the hall monitoring from the two-headed dragon and it practically serves no real purpose whatsoever, apart from a place to discuss restaurants and light fixtures. It's like a little old ladies' knitting circle.
I'm hoping to do a post about that woman's win soon.
According to T&V The TA did not even support the tenant who sued, she did it all on her own a one woman fight for what is right. The absence of TA support for a tenant clearly shows they are on the side of CW CR on everything including the bunker. SHAME ON THE TA FOR BEING UNSUPPORTIVE OF TENANTS!
The challenges that tenant faced from opposition of ALL who supported the bunker is unnerving.
Garodnick personally oversaw the bunker construction and no statement from him on the tenant's victory in T&V????
Cuomo deliberately screwed NYC on MTA
http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/07/23/cuomo-to-nyc-eat-my-dust-plebes/
“If you think I’m going to lift a finger to help New York City without getting something major in return, then I think you’re going to be sorely disappointed once again,” Cuomo said, before stomping the gas pedal of his cobalt blue Corvette and speeding off into the distance, engine roaring.
London or New York the world's biggest money launderer and can we indict all the liar brokers along with the big developers and politicians driving up housing costs by laundering money?
LONDON
Donald Toon of the NCA says: ‘I believe the London property market has been skewed by laundered money.’
Foreign criminals use London housing market to launder billions of pounds
Corporations, usually based in offshore tax havens, are sometimes used by buyers keen to hide ownership of assets, says National Crime Agency spokesman
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/25/london-housing-market-launder-offshore-tax-havens
NEW YORK according to the REBNY
NYC residential sales market posted higher average sales prices along with increased sales second quarter 2015 compared to second quarter 2014.
average sales price of NYC home increased 12 percent to $923,000 compared to last year’s second quarter $826,000 driven by large average price increase in Manhattan as well as substantial average price increases in other boroughs.
Manhattan condo segment of market again had largest effect on overall NYC home average sales price.
The average price of Manhattan condo increased 31 percent over last year’s second quarter to $2,353,000.
This large average price increase is again partly attributable to more closings at 157 West 57th Street where 6 sales over twenty million dollars were recorded during the quarter, including one over ninety million dollars.
average Manhattan condo sales price in the quarter without 157 West 57th sales was $2,143,000, still a 19 percent increase...
http://www.rebny.com/content/rebny/en/newsroom/research/NYCResidentialSalesReport/2nd_Quarter_2015_NYC_Residential_Sales_Report.html
The TA FB has never been serious in addressing tenants' issues. As bland and silly as it is now though, a couple of years ago it was infested by a bunch of absolutely loathsome, vindictive old women who would gang up on someone they didn't like (especially if it was a young Mom) and attack like a bunch of hungry she-wolves. John Marsh quite rightfully banished them. I don't know, but I suspect, they had something to do with the demise of the LL blog because they would prowl and attack anyone they didn't like and were, as I said, like a pack of hungry wolves. This blog is alive and well and relevant because STR does not allow such behavior.
Neighbors attacking neighbors has to stop. We all deserve to feel safe in our home.
11:50 AM, I remember that era of the TA Facebook. That "Wolfpack" was also very racist. They were particularly cruel to a young Muslim woman and her insulted her every time she posted. Disgusting people. At least John Marsh wouldn't tolerate racism, homophobia and bullying. I admire him for that.
Cuomo exhibits none of the qualities of a leader or of his father. Andrew "bullies into submission" instead of "inspire to raise your game". He bullied our NYC council with his cheap shot false advertising and direct mail campaign.
His job is to serve NYC but he won't do it unless NYC does something major for him?! NYC does not have to do crap for you, not even vote for you. Not ever again for anything anywhere no way no how. Cuomo deserves diddlysquat.
I doubt that Cuomo will be Governor for very long. There is a cell with his name on it. C'com Preet, get on with it!
I think the DOJ is scared that if they remove the third man in the corrupt room the state will fall apart. If they remove the third amigo the state will be much much much better off - upstate and downstate.
Come on Preet.
The world will not fall apart if you remove the corrupt head. The world will come together.
These rooms are not livable spaces. They are nothing more then crash pads for a few hours.
You can't put a sofa in a living room that is only 8 feet wide.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I doubt that Cuomo will be Governor for very long. There is a cell with his name on it. C'com Preet, get on with it!
July 26, 2015 at 11:37 PM
Amen to that.
There was a fire in PCV yesterday. It is only mentioned on the TA fb by a tenant who lived in the building. There is a video and it looks like the fire was throughout an apartment. T&V has made no mention of it so far (possibly at the request/command of CWC). Any news on this one? I wonder if it was a student dorm unit with interior fake walls?
I passed by. A large amount of fire trucks. One person was carried out on a stretcher. Someone said it was a fire originating in a bedroom.
I hope we hear more details concerning this fire. I don't feel safe here knowing the sleaze and secrecy management is infamous for.
Over on the TA Facebook the are more interested in Chipotle and weird elevators (though the elevator signage is cause for valid concern).
I head now they started measuring room sizes on chopped apartments going forward but are not inspecting the 6000 already chopped.
August 8, 9:45 AM - what do you expect from these grifters? That they'll do the right and legal thing? Don't hold your breath. Too much money has been paid in bribes to DOB and FDNY.
Post a Comment