Saturday, June 25, 2016

Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village Necessity


61 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think I see more of these than I see of dogs! And we have a LOT of dogs!

Anonymous said...

The most common sights in ST: people with luggage looking for buildings, u-hauls, students and dogs.

Anonymous said...

YES YES STR. EVERY DAY. In our building, coming , going of luggage people, young and old, throughout the property,,, it's pathetic!!! I'm sure there's a drug dealer next to our flat in PCV - it's a revolving door and BS looks the other way.

Anonymous said...

Part 1

Nothing says I hate constituents and love lobbyists more then penning an editorial about writing laws with lobbyists who brag in mission statement their goal is increase profits by ridding of rent stabilized tenants.

Writing laws, editorials with REBNY is a brazen F U to constituents

NYC citizens could use laws to protect from the "lobbyistlawmaker".

REBNY lobbyist gala shows which City Council members go after a tenant whether guilty or innocent while letting guilty big landlords skate by on illegal hotels in StuyTown

"Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen..City Planning Chairman Carl Weisbrod, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and council members Daniel Garodnick, Jumaane Williams and David Greenfield. And Mayor Bill de Blasio made a brief cameo. Ray Kelly,former NYPD commissioner and now a top executive at Cushman & Wakefield,."

City Council REBNY relations co-authoring editorials about co-authored laws, patting each other on the back as "brave"...a lobbyist who expressly states their mission is to rid the city of rent stabilized tenants is grotesque. Another REBNY written law with landlord protections and very big loopholes for RE landlords, brokers to break the law they wrote.

Holding accountable the advertiser of illegal hotel allows REBNY brokers, landlords, owners, developers to run hotels in multiple units but only advertise one, a unit that can be used as a hotel - then the broker diverts travelers to other unadvertised units saying the advertised unit is booked. StuyTown operates many hotels while not advertising them, even at one point having a brokers office on site to walk travelers to their unit.

Law writing with lobbyists is corruption by definition. The unit owner MUST be held accountable or RE will use the loophole just as every loophole NY pols design for them. Unbelievable the audacity to write a law expressly letting the unit owner off the hook for liability in their building.

The law should be that the owner must buy insurance for such incidents of tenant run hotels. But this is not about protecting tenants it is about writing laws so landlords and brokers can operate illegal hotels via multiple listings and landlord is not culpable for safety of other tenants and not accountable for their profitable collusion with brokers. It is to persecute tenants while allowing owners a very big loophole way to commit the same crime.

This law is a sham

Anonymous said...

Part 2

If a StuyTown hotel operates next to us, we will report it in the press and not to the landlord, Garodnick or NYPD because since Brookfield CW Fortress Compass Rock invaded 2010 they are allowed to break laws, run hotels in luxury StuyTown units while City Council, TA and NYAG target only rent stabilized tenants and those not even advertising but accused by the oh-so credible CW, Tenant Association and someone "overhearing an argument between brokers and hotel guests". A meritless vicious accusation to push a Brookfield conversion that required increasing the number of buyers (luxury units)and decreasing renters.

Where is the politician writing laws protecting tenants falsely accused by parties in unscrupulous real estate deals and conversions? ...laws and huge fines for egregious defamation of REBNY hated-rent stabilized tenants pushed out with false accusations solely on rumor mongering and no evidence? ..laws protecting People's homes, businesses and profits at least as much as protecting big business profits of those filling political coffers?

City Council work for REBNY, party with lobbyists, write laws, run PR campaigns, pen editorials complimenting each other on being so damn great. That is is known as crossing the line so far over there is no way back.

The core of the problem:

"Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen showed up,..City Planning Chairman Carl Weisbrod, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and council members Daniel Garodnick, Jumaane Williams and David Greenfield. And Mayor Bill de Blasio made a brief cameo.

And of course, the city’s top developers and brokers turned out en masse. Ray Kelly, former NYPD commissioner and now a top executive at Cushman & Wakefield, was at first reluctant to pose for photos but warmed up as the evening went on."

http://therealdeal.com/2015/01/16/spinola-gets-a-princely-send-off-at-rebny-gala-photos/


http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/williams-banks-airbnb-crackdown-city-badly-article-1.2685700

Council Housing Chair Jumaane D. Williams & REBNY President John Banks voice their support for crack down on Airbnb.

https://www.facebook.com/REBNYonFB/

NYPD Ray Kelly, Pols Glen, Williams, Greenfield, Garodnick, Viverito. Gives a new meaning to $655K Garondick cosponsored funneled to NYPD through real estate developer Rechnitz

http://nypost.com/2016/04/17/de-blasio-donor-spent-655k-of-city-funds-on-museum-program/

Anonymous said...

June 25, 2016 at 8:43 PM
Photograph, videotape and report it in the press.

Anonymous said...

BS looks the other way.

Worse, Blackstone condones short stay hotel transients. Signs are being installed to help travelers locate the PCVST guest suites they booked. They should be installing notices in every building stating hotels are illegal in NYC residential buildings.

Anonymous said...

Older travelers have really taken to the Airbnb in nyc. You seem them often on the property - they get to stay in NYC, lower ethan a hotel price, kitchen, living room.. such a great deal!

Anonymous said...

So true. Good point. If the City Council were not corrupt then landlords would be required to post such a notice in every rent stabilized building in the city BY LAW!!

"They should be installing notices in every building stating hotels are illegal in NYC residential buildings."

Anonymous said...

Just saw two in the building. Ugh.

Anonymous said...

June 26, 2016 at 9:34 AM Doubtful. All the ones around us are in their twenties.

Anonymous said...

@9:34 and good neighbors are reporting the illegally sublet apartments to management and the leasees are facing the consequences of their selfish, irresponsible behavior.

Anonymous said...

The TA will address these issues! Now that they are raising membership fees they will be able to do so in a more effective manner. If the problem persists then the TA will enlist the aid of councilman Garodnick and lord help Blackstone if that happens. PAY YOUR HIGHER DUES OK?

--TA Supporter

Anonymous said...

City council should be ashamed of themselves and so should the Governor if he signs another bill written by the REBNY. We do not send them to do the dirty work of the real estate industry, their lobbyists and lawyers like Paul Weiss Rifkind and REBNY.

Anonymous said...

June 26, 2016 at 12:53 PM hoping that is true so that 5C stops the nonstop loud, hotel guests.

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding TA supporter? The TA has done nothing for us in a long while. They support management no matter what they do and never speak out against the community becoming a dorm, airbnb dump. This increase in dues is unwarranted.

Anonymous said...

Putting signs up calling hotel rentals illegal would be a great idea. Of course the PR machine, Blackstone, will never do it as they make money that way. They put up all of these other signs, why not those reminding people of penalties for renting out their apartments.

Anonymous said...

They won't put signs up, they don't put any signs up for smoking in the building or carpets. In fact, at my friends building, they put one small sign up but it's been covered ever since with elevator curtains!!!

Anonymous said...

June 26, 2016 at 6:01 PM probably because the "StuyTown Property Management" is sill letting brokers lease multiple apartments and run illegal hotels thanks to deBlasio and Garodlnick.

Anonymous said...

What the heck is the City Council doing except making it more dangerous for tenants. If something happens to a kid due to a hotel guest in another apartment, the landlord is responsible. But it sounds like this councilman Williams is passing laws to guard the landlord from accountability for our safety and putting it all on the lessee of the hotel apartment. It sounds like this councilperson is hurting all the tenants and protecting the wallets and reputations of the landlords from things they really ought to be held accountable for. Is the City Council writing Get Out Of Jail
Free cards for the Landlords and Mr Banks' REBNY members? Who is this councilman and how do we report him for investigation of Honest Services Fraud?

Anonymous said...

7:39 AM: They are ALL guilty of Honest Services Fraud! Especially since they voted themselves a 32% pay raise! Wouldn't vote any one of them for any public office after that. Not even for dog catcher!

Anonymous said...

"Are you kidding TA supporter? "

The poster is being ironic.

"Ironic"---using or characterized by irony.

synonyms:sarcastic, sardonic, cynical, mocking, satirical, caustic, wry

happening in the opposite way to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this.

Anonymous said...

As I entered the development last evening I saw no less than 5 people with suitcases
looking for buildings. The airbnb population appears to be increasing as well as the student population. I cannot believe that Blackstone is unaware of these airbnbs and if they are aware they need to inspect apartments or appoint security to ask these people where they are going.

Anonymous said...

Blackstone is aware, smart and banking on the hotels in the renovated luxury apartments that were renovated with budgets of $120,000 so the rent can go up by $2000 per unit, because that is a law. If a landlord puts in $120,000 of renovations into an apartment they can raise the rent. Everyone knows they did not put in $120,000 into each unit and that they removed the units from the affordable housing stock for short term stays. They are banking on the rest of the units being cleared of the type of people that Albany silver spoon shallow politicians deem unworthy and a nuisance.

NO VOTE FOR SPOILED ROTTEN CORRUPT VINDICTIVE CHILDISH INCUMBENTS WHO TAKE WHATEVER THEY WANT
SEND THEM A MESSAGE
In addition, if your Council Member is running for reelection in November, DO NOT VOTE FOR THEM. They are part of the problem. Vote for the challenger - no matter who it is. It makes very little difference for anything that goes on in the Council district anyway but it will be a strong message - a vote of no confidence to the incumbent.

Anonymous said...

June 28, 2016 at 9:21 AM
Offer to help them find the building and get the address of where they are going.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what office Dirty Dan is running for when his third term as councilman is over? Whatever it is, I will vote for his opponent.

Anonymous said...

Another instance where a Park is used for loud, alcoholic drinking just like our Oval and the NYPD does what exactly? The news today has a piece on the NYPD not serving the citizens in the communities and instead doing as the paid-off politicians want - from the politicians in City Hall taking bundles of cash to the politicians on committees like the Parks committee. The Park Department is clear they are acting in detrimental ways for citizens and beneficial ways for politicians. The Park department statement has a defensive stench of guilty cover up. Thanks to another paid off city agency DOB our Oval is on a slippery slope of having the illegally constructed cafe get a liquor license, a cafe that is surrounded by thousands of illegally constructed overpopulated change-in-occupancy apartments. This is the type of people the Oval will attract, just like this Upper West Side Park has, thanks to the Mayor, councilman and PCVST Tenant Association who claims to be the largest in the nation tenant association. Does anyone know how many members they have because at the same time the tenant association is begging for building volunteers and members. This tenant association does not seem to be helping tenants all that well, especially the tenants around the Oval.

"La Marina has drawn the ire of neighbors, who have detailed a litany of problems on the ­“Restore Dyckman Marina” blog.

Complaints include a “rogue” valet-parking operation on the street. “NYPD does not enforce against this despite [the Department of Transportation] confirming it is illegal,” said the blog.

A Parks spokesman said: “We do not believe the concession agreement has been regularly violated.”

A de Blasio spokesman and the NYPD both declined to comment, and Mateo didn’t respond to repeated messages.

“This all makes sense now, why Mateo has been allowed to get away with flagrantly violating the terms of his contract,” said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates. “The contract is not being properly enforced and it’s led to illegal concerts and illegal parking on parkland, traffic problems and parkland being used for disgusting video shoots.”

The feds spent about 15 minutes inside Jaoui’s home. She refused to comment when she left at about 11 a.m.

The Post exclusively reported that Mateo admitted he had raised money for de Blasio’s 2017 re-election bid but had Jaoui — who appears to be unemployed and has no connection to fund-raising, politics or lobbying — put her name down as the bundler of $18,800 in donations in January.

The exposé led the head of a government-watchdog group — who has accused Mateo of flagrantly violating the terms of his contract to run a bar and lounge on city parkland — to call the situation “a continuation of the mayor’s pay-to-play policies — and one that is impacting an ­entire community.”"


http://nypost.com/2016/06/28/fbi-questions-woman-involved-in-de-blasio-fundraising-scandal/

Anonymous said...


"The balance of power, real and perceived, keeps the public in the dark."

So much for the troll defending the NYPD by bullying the commentator with the slander threat.

The NYPD just had a lot of high level cops indicted with more to come and now this on Mayor De Blasio, a Federal investigation of the handling of police cases by Suffolk County District Attorney Spota, and Governor Cuomo who uses Republicans as leverage against his own democratic party and "only calls to either yell at you or tell you you're wrong" The people are not protected, they are getting screwed. Now that the State Police Chief left after a fight with Cuomo, and Cuomo put together a panel to replace him that includes the infamously problematic former commissioner Kelly; and Kelly and Cuomo are setting up State police in NYC things will only get worse. It is a race to see who is worse, who treats the public the worse, the Mayor or the Governor?

"Wednesday, Jun 29, 2016 04:59 AM -0700
New York’s police secrecy law: de Blasio fights to keep NYPD abuse records from the public
The balance of power, real and perceived, keeps the public in the dark."

http://www.salon.com/2016/06/29/new_yorks_police_secrecy_law_de_blasio_backs_nypd_to_keep_misconduct_records_from_the_public/

Anonymous said...

Dear STR readers,

as someone who works at PCVST I regularly read this blog and the comments that are posted. Those comments that are based on facts are actually followed up on, but most of the comments appear to be the views and opinions of individuals that don't bother with the facts.

The airbnb issue is, has been and will be near and dear to me and I can assure the STR and the readership that Blackstone and Stuytown Property Services take this issue very seriously and followu up within the parameters of the laws we are obligated to follow. Let me just say that we have successfully evicted a number of tenants who were using their apartments for short term "sublets", speak hotel rooms.

We will continue to do so, but also need the cooperation of the true residents of PCVST. If we are informed of suspicious behavior we will investigate and take the necessary action.

One point I wish to make is this: PCVST/Blackstone/Stuytown Property Services do NOT operate any apartments as hotel rooms.

Thank you for your attention.

Anonymous said...

The 18th street crime was reported as StuyTown because there is video of the criminal trying to enter a StuyTown building. In a sense it is a StuyTown crime that could have turned into a crime spree if he was able to get in the StuyTown building.

Anonymous said...

@ June 28, 2016 at 7:17 PM
"I wonder what office Dirty Dan is running for when his third term as councilman is over? Whatever it is, I will vote for his opponent."
----
It doesn't matter what office PCVST resident Traitor Dan runs for.

Honest Services Fraud - Wall Street/REBNY predators will shower him with dirty, filthy $$$$ based on past performance and future expectations he will repeatedly betray his constituents on their behalf for money. Wall Street/REBNY predators consider the millions of dollars they shower on dishonest politicians to be a retainer.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

I don't think that illegal "sublets" are fine with Blackstone or StuyTown Property Services. Just the other day, I was speaking to someone that it takes a bit of time to get rid of a tenant. It also makes monetary sense that Blackstone and StuyTown Property Services would want to get these people out. This doesn't stop certain people from trying to game the system, of course.

Anonymous said...

In reference to the comment that Blackstone is intent on getting rid of illegal renters, that should not be our responsibility as tenants. I am often tempted to ask the suitcase people looking for buildings where they are going, but feel that it is the role of management and public safety. Public safety officers can be assigned to find out who these people are renting from and where they are going. In addition, all apartments should be inspected. Public safety officers could also be stationed at access roads and loops in order to discourage trespassing and crime. I rarely see public safety officers roaming the premises. If Blackstone is serious about eliminating the illegal rental issue, more constructive steps need to be taken. It is not the tenant's responsibility.

Anonymous said...

"So much for the troll defending the NYPD by bullying the commentator with the slander threat."


The troll attack. So expected. I am well aware of the recent NYPD scandals based upon fact based reporting which I am following. The issue I discussed was a very specific felony criminal corruption charged that was directed at the 13th precinct without ANY proof.



Anonymous said...

At 9:51. Thank you for your "honesty." I worked at Pcvst under CR and TS, and I know for a fact that they were running a foul game. Hell, I was part of it. I will not disclose whether I work for BS, but all I can say is that an hour or 2 in front of that ridiculous Brokers Office on 21st street will give you all the answers.

Anonymous said...

Dear Property Services Person

Good that property services is reading this blog. Clarification on the One point would go a long way with the true residents:

Is PCVST/Blackstone/Stuytown property services still leasing in bulk to corporations, broker companies, and colleges who are running short term stays for traveling occupants who in turn compound the problem renting out rooms or entire apartments for a month or two or a night or two: instead of individual leases to true residents? That is the problem right there, the leasing in bulk invites hotels and other short term temp occupants instead of permanent true residents.

True residents deserve true residents as neighbors.

Signed
True Residents

Anonymous said...

Thank you, 9:51 AM. It's good to know that Management sometimes reads this blog and manages to cut through the bluster and rage and identify rational posters with bona fide concerns. Thank you for posting.

Anonymous said...

Can PS or anyone physically remove an unsuspecting tourist from an airbnb rental? No. But they should slap AIRBNB with fines left * right.

Anonymous said...

9:51 am if management is so concerned why are strange italian families calling security to get buzzed into my building with my own eyes and ears was 10A we are here buzz us in very broken mostly italian definitely european and not nyc ...with the rollies 3 of them cmon we are stupid dumb or blind! mgmt

Anonymous said...

DeBlasio is the most corrupt may our to come down the pike in decades and the City Council and Police Commissioner are all as bad. They are totally destroying this city and the last vestige of "quality" in the QOL of the hard working citizens. I will NEVER vote Democrat again because of them.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

One way to game the system is to NOT make you apartment listed on an AIRBNB site, which is an instant give-away to what you are doing. I have to say I see more and more people with those traveling cases, though I have to be careful and still consider them legitimate, ie. legal new tenants who are heading to their new apartment. And sharing an apartment is perfectly legal.

Anonymous said...

Truth

Anonymous said...

At 9:51. Thank you for your "honesty." I worked at Pcvst under CR and TS, and I know for a fact that they were running a foul game. Hell, I was part of it. I will not disclose whether I work for BS, but all I can say is that an hour or 2 in front of that ridiculous Brokers Office on 21st street will give you all the answers.

June 29, 2016 at 3:46 PM

Anonymous said...

STR I appreciate the "benefit of the doubt" tone but I suspect the lost tourist with rollers phenomenon is 100 per cent business related not visiting friends.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Unfortunately it's not just one lost tourist or two. I would say that I see this at least once a day. Someone will rollers heading somewhere in ST or PCV. Perhaps there are a few days when I don't see this. Again, they could be new tenants heading to a new home in ST or PCV. Or they could be friends visiting (but not AIRBNB paying) for a weekend.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

One thing "old timers" lose sight of is that New York City is a mecca for visiting people, and that some could legitimately stay in the city for a week or two and be at STPCV. But, correct me if I'm wrong, they need to be acquaintances and not AIRBNB paying customers.

Anonymous said...

honestly anyone who rents out rooms on Airbnb doesn't care about being in violation of their lease, in fact, it's more than likely they want their lease broken (fact).

so instead of doing what you think is smart or best for tenants, a fine must be imposed on those using airbnb to earn a profit or get out of their lease. Kinda obvious guys.

Anonymous said...

There could be screening of these suitcase people, if management took proactive steps.

Anonymous said...

I have had plenty of friends come and visit me. If they are lost, they pick up their cell phone and call me, not wander around hopelessly.

Anonymous said...

This place has become a free for all. There are people with rolling luggage (different ones every few days) in and out of my building all the time. We never had this problem before MetLife sold us to Tishman Schnorrer, but since then the place has been a free for all. If Management really wanted to oust these people who are running illegal hotels, they would. Believe me, they would! Remember how they went after longtime tenant with their over-zealous legal team and almost caused the demise of those innocent people who had to fight them to prove they were living here. Their strong-arm bozos (Fred Knapp, George "Heartless" Hatzman") were up tenants' asses all the time in the quest to get them out. So, if Management really wanted to get these hoteliers out, they would!

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with 12:47. The place looks like a mess. The sunbathers on the oval cheapen the look of the property, as do the movies and concerts. The constant stream of students and suitcase people looks terrible as does the student crap left out on the loop after they move. Not to mention the dogs.

Anonymous said...

To all "hotel" posters on this blog.

As stated above, June 29, 9:51am, we are very actively working to reduce and eliminate the illegal usage of apartments for hotel purposes. This is not an effort to go after legitimate visitors, which we have plenty of this time of year as stated above.

We cannot do this alone, so if anyone out there has a LEGITIMATE concern about an apartment being used as a hotel room/suite, please e-mail us at feedback@stuytown.com and write in the subject line "suspected hotel use". We will follow up.

Thanks again for everyone's attention.

Anonymous said...

Have you seen the filthy mattresses on the 14th Street loop? This place is a total SHITHOLE!!!!

Anonymous said...

July 1, 2016 at 11:31 AM Then eliminate the brokers office and the bulk leases because from the Airbnb site it looks like the ads are being removed but the units are still operating hotels. Stop bulk leasing to corporations and colleges because they are the ones using the apartments as hotels.

Anonymous said...

I'd rather have illegal hotel guests, so long as they're quiet and clean, than partying, braying, shrieking bros and woo hoo girls. The students are what are bring the place down to the level of a dorm/slum. Think about how much water and electricity usage and strain on our infrastructure is attributable to the pack-em-in flex dorms. Gimme a quiet couple of foreigners who will be out most of the time doing the tourist thing than these fucking students.

Anonymous said...

July 1, 2016 at 8:03 PM Agree.

Blackstone may be trying to look serious about transients but their actions say otherwise. All the hotels and the mass student population flex units are under the watchful eyes of the security guy hired by Tishman and the management guy hired by Tishman to push out the rent stabilized tenants from affordable housing units. As long as they keep the same guys who set up this mess and kept it operating since Tishman bought from MetLife, Bill McLellan and his team and Fred Knapp and his staff, then quality of life and safety in Stuyvesant Town will say at the lowest levels in the history of the complex.

Anonymous said...

Assemblyman Kavanagh is wrong, and part of the problem of the Mayors Administration who for at least 4 years uses CIA tracking on tenants while refusing to use the same software on landlords and DOB to track illegal conversions, illegally dicing up apartments and homes "violating building and fire codes" at an alarming rate that is 26X the problem of illegal hotel complaints.

Landlords, DOB and Mayors administration are constructing flex wall illegal increase occupancy units - both Bloomberg and De Blasio let landlords build and operate illegal hotels. City Council in a scramble, wrote a law with REBNY to game the system allowing landlords to operate hotels in units they diced as long as its not advertised, that way the DA and AG can ignore illegal hotels operated by landlords.

Its a con game by politicians, real estate industry and their lobbyists REBNY. Kavanagh too.

This politician, Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge), has been calling bullshit on them for over a year

“If they have a program that tracks the illegal hotels, then it should be easy enough to track illegal conversions, whether through the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement or through the Department of Buildings,” said Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge). “We reached out to the mayor’s office, and so far no one could give us an answer as to why they’re not using this for illegal conversions.”

Landlords in Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Dyker Heights are violating building and fire codes by subdividing small homes into multi-family apartments at an alarming rate, locals said. The practice creates dangerous living conditions and strains city services.

New Yorkers registered upwards of 100,000 complaints to the Department of Buildings through 311 in 2014 — 1,100 about illegal hotels and 26,000 for illegal home conversions, city data show. A spokesman could not provide the number of inspectors the department employs, but reports put the figure around 200.

Landlords in Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Dyker Heights are violating building and fire codes by subdividing small homes into multi-family apartments at an alarming rate, locals said. The practice creates dangerous living conditions and strains city services.

New Yorkers registered upwards of 100,000 complaints to the Department of Buildings through 311 in 2014 — 1,100 about illegal hotels and 26,000 for illegal home conversions, city data show. A spokesman could not provide the number of inspectors the department employs, but reports put the figure around 200.

Software like Palantir helps agencies make the most of their staff, an official said.

“Thirty percent more work with the same exact staff,” the acting director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, Elan Parra, told WYNC. “I guess maybe you could call it ‘Moneyball’ for quality-of-life violations.”

But the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement focuses on quality of life issues, not buildings issues, a spokeswoman said.


A software system the city uses to clamp down on residents who illegally rent their apartments over the internet should be used to put an end to the illegally dicing up of homes in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, pols said.

A sophisticated data-crunching and workflow platform called Palantir is helping the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement crack down on peer-to-peer apartment sharing services like Airbnb at an unprecedented rate, according to a WNYC report. But the city isn’t using the software to combat illegal home conversions, and area officials say that needs to change.

“If they have a program that tracks the illegal hotels, then it should be easy enough to track illegal conversions, whether through the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement or through the Department of Buildings,” said Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge). “We reached out to the mayor’s office, and so far no one could give us an answer as to why they’re not using this for illegal conversions.”

http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2015/5/br-illegal-conversion-palantir-software-2015-01-30-bk_2015_5.html

Anonymous said...

Kavanagh is a useless wuss and tool of REBNY, just like Brewer, Hoylman and stinking DeBlasio and his skanky Speaker. They ALL need to go!

Anonymous said...

This is how local politicians who are not corrupt work with constituents to keep them in their communities and homes, by uniting and fighting the illegal conversions. By calling out the DOB and developers for their self-policing and lying on permits.

StuyTown politicians, the PCVST Tenant Association and the Mayor sitting on the Bill, Bill de Blasio pushed out this community. This Brooklyn meeting is a far cry from the PCVST Tenant Association, Dan Garodnick, Brian Kavanagh, Brad Hoylman meetings where they put themselves up on a stage, condescend to citizens to just shut up and suck it up. ...where they sit with the DOB and condescend to us while pushing illegal conversions and office buildings.


This is what it looks like when politicians are on the side of their constituents. Not one of PCVST meetings went down like this. Especially not the DOB meeting on the management office and the January letter sent by Garodnick, Hoylman and Kavanagh that was a clear message that the politicians and tenant association are on the side of the landlord developers and the residents are only allowed to speak up at the DOB meeting or forever shut up. The letter from the three politicians to those on the First Avenue Loop was a disgrace -- saying the politicians will take care of all communications with City Officials while they said nothing and tenants were on their on and that one tenant battled in court on the noise all by herself.

This is what it looks like when your politicians are serving the constituents and not the developers.
This is how Brooklyn politicians have meetings with their constituents.

"Building a case: Dyker Heights Civic Association president Fran Vella Marrone questions a Department of Buildings commisisoner about how it inspects suspected conversions at a town hall meeting on Feb. 26."

http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2015/10/br-united-against-divisions-2015-03-06-bk_2015_10.html


Broken system: Bob Cassara of the Brooklyn Housing Preservation Alliance points out how a landlord changed a house in a way that doesn’t comply with building code but which was approved via self-certification — a process where architects simply vouch to the city that their plans are kosher.

Anonymous said...

Yelp is full of shit because the Yelp owner has money invested in Airbnb and in Palantir.

Yelp wants StuyTown to look good to transients and the landlord to run hotels here so the owner of Yelp makes money. If StuyTown looks bad, then the Yelp owner makes less money. So the fix is in on the Yelp page

Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman has also backed Palantir and Airbnb, and might even have Thiel beat in terms of crossing interests. After all, there are probably some Yelp reviews on some of those Airbnb hosts.

Yelp is not trustworthy at all

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/blog/techflash/2015/01/peter-thiel-has-2-dogs-in-new-york-city-fight-as.html

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Don't worry. It's coming here, if it isn't here already:

http://nypost.com/2016/07/02/im-living-like-a-college-student-at-44/

Anonymous said...

Yup! I think we have reached that scenario, especially the latter part of the article which featured the party crowd. I can't help but wonder who washes the dishes for that middle-aged teenager from California. Maybe they have a maid come in to mop up after them. Open keg, too. Yes, it could have been ST/PCV quite easily!