We are living in a historic time in the life of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. This complex was created in the 1940s so that "families of moderate means might live in health, comfort and dignity in park-like communities and that a pattern might be set of private enterprise productively devoted to public service." It was the largest such complex and community not only in the city, but in the country. There have been several stewards of STPCV: the owners, the city (its politicians), and its residents. The prime element of importance was, traditionally, "affordability." Affordability for people of "moderate means."
Yes, times do change. And since the sale to Tishman-Speyer, the change for this community has been fairly rapid and even aggressive. It seems that at this point the ideal of families of moderate means living here is on life-support.
We, the tenants, are still partial stewards of this complex. We have a voice. We can give up on STPCV and accept the progressive unaffordability of STPCV for the true middle class. We can, ultimately, move out or be forced to move out due to financial considerations. But we can be heard. At least for now. And not just be heard for our own self interests, but for the history and tradition of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village.
Today: Saturday, October 24, 1pm. Baruch College, Mason Hall, 23rd Street and Lexington Ave. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. A meeting about the new sale of STPCV. Doors open at 12:30, but expect a line to start forming before then.
In order to just focus on the time and place for this meeting, I am leaving out the comment section for this post. There will be a comment section in the next post, which will be dedicated to your reactions to the Baruch meeting.
