So, have we lost count of how many General Managers we have had? I'm know I'm getting confused. A lot of things are not working here, and getting more and more by the month. The "rules" here are mostly not enforced. Outside dogs, crap on our paths, electric bicycles and skateboards, uncovered mattresses on the loops, leaf blowers whose exhaust is pollution and the spreading of disease, local politicians who tell you what you want to hear about these issues but do nothing, a small tenant organization that is a mockery of the term..... The "rules" are bs. Just meant to placate and present this area as worthy of rentals to those thinking about renting. Yeah, this place is better for certain things with the extra space with have in our community. But it is a far cry from former times, and I have been here for over 30 years. It is a money-making operation, and residents are behind on the line. If it was up to me, I would want all residents to be the focus of my work and dedication. I would want "quality of life" to be uppermost. That means the "rules" would have to enforced. That is why the loud music from "events" is bs. That is why the periodic marches of whatever cause is primary to the "woke" crowd is bs. That is why the mantra of "Good Neighbors" is bs, (Why are we being told to be a "good neighbor" when that comes instinctively?) Stop it with the continual pandering. Do not speak with Beam tongue.
377 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 377 of 377There is "less" crime now, because NYPD have been ordered to ignore QOL issues. And agree that there will be no meaningful response to the person who lives in 2 Oval.
I agree totally with the sentiments of "Me" and I hope he or she does actually send the letter to the useless so-called "Manager" we are stuck with. I'm so sick of hearing and reading the term "reach out." She should just get on the stick and do the job she is no doubt paid handsomely to do.
I live on the 14th Street side of the property and heard no end of screaming, yelling, shrill drunken shitheads throughout the early morning hours. This place was not built to be a college dorm and should not be used as such. No wonder they are begging for tenants. Who the f*ck wants to pay top dollar to live in a noisy unsupervised dorm? Nobody with a modicum of intelligence! These apartments are not soundproofed, not fireproofed and are totally inferior when compared to what is available out there at the same price. We don't even get heat most of the time during the cold months and we have what looks like piss coming out of the faucets. The grounds are no longer an asset to tenants (most tenants) because they are used as noisy third rate venues and are dangerous as hell due to speeding bikes, unsavory characters roaming around and a dearth of "Public Safety."
I wonder how many more useless, uncaring "Managers" from the resort industry? They should go back to doing what they do best: working at resorts, NOT residential complexes.
The subways in Manhattan are being cleaned out. Don’t bother contradicting if you don’t ride them on a regular basis. This 14th St situation should have been addressed a long time ago, but this a new administration.
You might not see it, but under Adams the homeless situation on the subways is improving.
Agreed. They need these college creeps and transient roomies to fill apartments. They don’t care about noise levels. They depend on the rent from these dorms and flophouses. Can’t rent at these prices to normal people.
Where are the “facts”? Crime statistics are widely available, a quick google search will turn up many sources.
Just one sample, Murders. 1965: 836, 1990: 2605, 2021: 488
Below is the 20 year historical
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/analysis_and_planning/historical-crime-data/seven-major-felony-offenses-2000-2021.pdf
Things are going in the wrong direction, but the sky isn’t falling.
<<Where are the “facts”? Crime statistics are widely available, a quick google search will turn up many sources.<<
Thank you. I found this. The facts are documented.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_New_York_City#cite_note-crimedrop-5
"Just one sample, Murders. 1965: 836, 1990: 2605, 2021: 488"
What about the heinous beatings, punchings, pushing to the ground? Maybe they don't all end up being murder, but they sure as hell leave the victimized, maimed, disabled and traumatized for life. The victims may feel physical and emotional pain for the rest of their lives. There are more ways of taking away a person's life than killing them outright.
NYC is heading down the sewer it, at least partially, crawled out of when Giuliani was in office. We are most definitely going back to the bad old days, We need a strong mayor and police commish. Not wet-assed wussies, thank you.
I don't like Adams and don't trust him. He speaks out of both sides of his mouth. I also think he's got some f*cking steel balls for firing City workers who didn't get vaccinated, but exempting some stinking ball players and entertainers. What? Is he getting free tickets for himself and his cronies in return? What an asshole.
>>What about the heinous beatings, punchings, pushing to the ground? Maybe they don't all end up being murder, but they sure as hell leave the victimized, maimed, disabled and traumatized for life. The victims may feel physical and emotional pain for the rest of their lives. There are more ways of taking away a person's life than killing them outright.<<
True.
I think about the people that have been hit and hurt (some needing to go to a hospital) for bike lanes. These bike lanes were not around previously. And with electric bikes and scooters, there are more accidents. This is just one facet that is not considered.
>>I also think he's got some f*cking steel balls for firing City workers who didn't get vaccinated, but exempting some stinking ball players and entertainers. What? Is he getting free tickets for himself and his cronies in return? What an asshole.<<
This was a low point for him.
9:10AM, Monday, March 28th, 26 degrees outside, 64 degrees INSIDE my apartment. NO HEAT!
Beam is continually bullshitting people. So is Powers. The coldest day of year. No heat.
What about the heinous beatings, punchings, pushing to the ground?
That’s felony assault. You can look those stats up, too!
I did say “just one sample”…
The grounds of the Sty are not safe any longer because of all the damn bike, electric and peddle. The zoom around silently and skim past you. One mis-step to the side and you're on your way to the hospital. Of course, our "Public Safety" isn't allowed to stop these assholes because Blackstone is afraid of getting sued by them. Hayduk told me that to my face. Like Blackstone doesn't have lawyers who are up to dealing with such nonsense? I worked for a law firm that numbered Blackstone among its clients. They were pitbulls on steroids. Mind you, Hayduk was the biggest bullshit artist who ever drew breath. His legacy is illegally removed directories and Welcome Home door tags. Asshole! He was/is the consummate snake oil salesman.
Adams is another bullshit artist. If he doesn't pull his finger out of his ass soon, he's going to find that the decent, law-abiding citizens of New York are going to start defending themselves and will care more about their own lives than the risks involved in taking matters into their own hands.
I know several people who carry mace and laser guns. I won't admit it here, but probably there are some who carry fire arms.
I would rather face a judge for carrying a firearm than wake up in the hospital or facing St. Peter.
Adams and his wussy woke friends need to face reality and start enforcing the law or deal with what will soon become the OK Corral f/k/a NYC. We had this shit in the 70s and 80s and we are not going to go back to being terrorized by the filth and scum on the streets because of Mayors such as Adams, DeBlasio, Beam, Dinkins, et al.
Get your finger out, Adams, we are so f*cking fed up of your and your bleeding heart kind.
I am guessing that Mayor Adams doesn't go anywhere without an armed contingent of protectors. We should also be so lucky in this shithole of a City.
"Mind you, Hayduk was the biggest bullshit artist who ever drew breath. His legacy is illegally removed directories and Welcome Home door tags. Asshole! He was/is the consummate snake oil salesman."
His successors haven't been any better - except, maybe, Burke. He took one look at the place and turned and fled!
Another chilly, cold morning.
29 degrees.
Pipes are ice cold of course.
64 degrees in my apartment which is below legal minimum.
What to do?
NO HEAT!
Brrrrrrrrrrrr!
Mayor of Chicago has 90(!) officers assigned to protect her, according to recent reports. How many does Adams have? Also, about a week ago, FREE pepper spray was distributed to Chinatown residents by local businesses there. The lines to get it were long (pictures were online), and Adams even referred to same in a press conference. However, NYPD refused any comment. If I myself carried/used pepper spray, would be arrested, however, since am not Asian. Not legal to sell it retail here, and Amazon won't ship it, either. Non-lethal, btw. What does Powers have to say about this ridiculous safety situation? Nothing, of course.
Call 311 and keep on calling and filing online complaints with the City.
So sick of this shit. We are paying to live in apartments and feeling like we are living on the street because it is so cold. Keep on complaining to the City and pester the "Manager" of this rotten place. We are entitled to heat and we should DEMAND it during cold spells like this. The heating system is totally dysfunctional. But then, so are the people running this dump.
"Pipes are ice cold of course.
64 degrees in my apartment which is below legal minimum.
What to do?"
Take a photograph of your thermometer and send it to Management and Resident Services. Wouldn't hurt to send it to the Department of Consumer Affairs as well. We are consumers, aren't we? We do pay rent to live here, don't we?
Sending it to management is a joke. They don’t care. The fact that we even need thermometers here is despicable.
How long have heat problems been going on? Just this month? Two months? Color me totally pessimistic that something will change no matter which department is talked to. Don't forget we have a city congressman who lives here. And a TA. Aside from the expected BS, what real answers do we have?
"Don't forget we have a city congressman who lives here. "
Keith Powers is a NYC City Council member. Not a US Congressman. But I get your point.
"Sending it to management is a joke. They don’t care. The fact that we even need thermometers here is despicable."
I agree. I have never, ever heard of an apartment complex in NYC or anywhere else requiring tenants to have management-issued thermometers so that they dicker over the heat - or lack thereof.
This is the most despicable "landlord" in the industry and the people who work for them in a managerial level are the absolute scum of the industry. Friends (who don't live here) are astounded and crack-up when I tell them that we have a Director of Lifestyles on the payroll. They are astounded when I tell them that the predominant lifestyle here is to freeze in winter, but they have egg hunts for the kiddies at Easter. They think it must be an evil version of the Marx Brothers running the dump.
STR, everybody I know uses space heaters. Everybody. Maybe not the students, but they probably will when they get too cold and who knows what type of space heaters they will buy. Probably the cheapest and most dangerous.
This place is a deathtrap. As if it wasn't bad enough they are trying to give us cancer and other illness with their damn CHP plants, they are endangering our lives with their cheapness and illegality about providing heat.
Only the absolute scum of the industry would lower themselves to work for these ghouls. I have more respect for the steaming dogshit in the stairwells than anybody who works in a managerial position here.
32 degrees and sunny this morning.
A whisp of heat, a mere puff of warmth, and now, NOTHING!
Only 64-65 degrees in my abode. Illegal.
Anyone remember the Rolling Stones song in the 60's, "Brown Sugar."
Well, here is the Stuy Town version of "Brown Sugar":
It's in the stairwell and elevator of my building.
It ain't sugar but sure is brown. And yellow too.
Powers may have an apartment here--that doesn't mean he lives in it.
Here’s the height of hypocrisy: in order to reduce emissions, NYC is banning gas kitchen stoves in new construction. But two massive methane gas burning power plants, right in our midst? Approved!
"Here’s the height of hypocrisy: in order to reduce emissions, NYC is banning gas kitchen stoves in new construction. But two massive methane gas burning power plants, right in our midst? Approved!"
So? Were you expecting anything different in light of the fact that NYC and State is notorious for having the most corrupt politicians in the Free World? Plus a useless dope for a Mayor (pretty similar to the last Mayor).
Toilets backing up throughout the whole line in my building.
Neighbors irate.
Management response: We're working on it.
Friday evening, April 1, 2022
I've written about this before. Tonight is another nightmare.
The "entertaining" so loud in the apartment whose "Welcome Home" human saw fit to maliciously call 911 a couple of weeks back to report a possible felony is at it again.
So many dear "young people" seated near the doorway in her apartment that I could hear them straight down the hallway and into my apartment (my home!) and all the way to the back of the apartment. They kept my non-human charges from sleeping.
I requested helping shutting her/them down from Security. That was apartment 6F, in which a teacher and her husband lived for many years before old age, disability, and death opened that apartment to the human toxins Blackstone piles in here.
I was walking back into my building from my in-person visit to Security when another young person went in before me and looked in vain for a name on the directory and used her handy cell phone to call the hostess (I think it was a female, another female whose name is Welcome Home) of the party. "4H," I heard this esteemed guest repeat, which is 2 floors below me.
When I'd been outside (at just before 10 pm), I'd heard very loud and raucous sounds coming out of windows in my building. It seems the screaming, wild hordes in 4H were responsible.
Once in the building, I went to the fourth floor first.
Sure enough, 4H sounded as if there were anywhere from 30-40 or 50 "young people" (I'm being polite) screaming, laughing. Security DID come and went to them before they came up here to talk to 6E.
The dear, dear children in 4H were so out of control they could not at first even properly respond to the two officers at the door.
Afterward, my lying-to-police neighbor put on her usual act of innocence and cooperation when Security rang her doorbell.
I cannot either use the words that accurately describe the vermin let loose by Beam Blackstone, or specify the actions which would ensure that we enjoy peace in our own homes once more.
WHY DON'T WE ORGANIZE TO END THIS?????
Oh, lest I forget: early this afternoon, the marijuana smoke was so pernicious that it came into my apartment. Someone on my once peaceful, enjoyable, habitable floor, has decided that Friday morning/afternoon has become a time to wreck themselves with weed, man. So much of that good sh*t, man, that sometimes there is a haze in front of my door, dope drifting into my livingroom. Oh, good times!
Well after 3 am and I'm being kept awake by braying, honking, hooting, screaming drunken [probably] undergrads weaving and puking their way home along the 14th Street Loop. No wonder nobody with a dollar and a brain wants to rent here. Why would they???? There are much, much better and more affordable places to rent here in the City and Boroughs. Places that are well run, well maintained and actually have a Public Safety presence that doesn't hide and keep a low profile while rent-paying, decent tenants are trying to sleep. Now, the drunken morons sound like they are seriously spoiling for a fight and are getting louder.
Fellow suffering, rent-paying victims: Please do a public service and warn SERIOUSLY WARN everybody and anybody you meet about the horrors of living here. At this point, they are up by the Oval and I'm sure PS officers are doing their best to NOT hear them. The drunken scum will soon be in their buildings and disturbing their neighbors, some of whom might be decent, hardworking, sober, normal people. This isn't shit from outside. This is shit that is renting here.
The once vaunted Stuyvesant Town is now a SHITHOLE. An overpriced, nasty, dangerously badly run SHITHOLE.
I REST MY CASE.
A colleague of mine who lives in Bronxville and is not looking forward to resuming the commute now that remote working is being phased out, asked me the other day about PCVST. All I could say was "Don't even THINK about it!!!!" I told her she would be very sorry if she gave up her place in Bronxville (she would rent it out as she owns the apartment) and moved here. I invited her to come and spend a weekend in my apartment and see what she thought. She stayed last night and is going home tomorrow. I stayed with my daughter who lives in Queens. She called me this morning said she had a very good idea of the place after being kept up all night by the shit who are here from NYU (or wherever). One Friday night was enough! She is welcome to stay the entire weekend, but said she's seen and heard enough in less than 48 hours!
I told her that if she thought last night was bad, she would think she had died and gone to Hell if she spend a summer here listening to the moronic shit on the Oval that resounds around the project.
I am always amused at the ludicrous titles the idiots who mismanage this place have: Manager of Resident Experience; Director of Lifestyles. Gimme a f**king break! The titles (and the people) are like characters out of a Coen Brothers movie!
Didn't get much sleep last night because of the hooting and braying of the f*cking college kids who are living here as an off-campus dorm.
I was in Trader Joe's yesterday and I saw two of the employees there prevent a guy from leaving and demanded he open his bag (one of the sausage-shaped backpacks). It was stuffed full of bags of stolen frozen food, mostly shrimp from what I could see. I don't know whether or not they handed him over to the police. Probably not because there seems to be nothing the cops or the "system" can or will do at this point. It's not surprising that so many people order online and that the store shelves are so empty. With the supply-line holdups and the rampant theft, what is there to put on the shelves!
We all need be very careful when we go out. This city has deteriorated greatly and I blame the politicians and the stupid lame-ass "progressive" mayors like DeBlasio and Adams more than I blame the pandemic.
What IS the problem with the moderators on the Tenants Facebook? There was a thread about door-slamming and it has been turned off and/or deleted by the moderators. Nobody said anything offensive on that discussion. At least not as far as I could see. I only realized this when somebody else posted about the situation and mentioned that the thread had been closed. I just don't understand why people have to be such control freaks. I am a member of that group, but don't post there. I sometimes post on the TA Fb which is much more democratic. NB small d democratic. Not getting into politics. The moderators on the non-TA fb seem to be very arbitrary and unreasonable at times.
There will be no end to the student garbage moving in. Dorms are the main way that Beam can keep apartments rented. It is integral to them for financial profit. That along with city subsidies, roomie apartments, and Airbnb are essential parts of Beam’s plan here. Disgusting and despicable but here to stay, organization or no organization. They can rent to who they please and do. The deals with NYU and other schools will become more profitable as older tenants move or die out.
There is a vicious cycle here: management needs to rent bulk units to the young students from (mostly) the flyover states because they can’t get responsible adults because adults and people with young families don’t want to live among students. Right now at almost 1:30 am I can hear the braying and screaming of the bar crowds walking through the property.
I’m thinking of hooking up a long hose from my
bathtub and drenching as they walk by my building. Seriously.
I REST MY CASE.
Somehow, I doubt it…
No place in the US of A saw more people leave during 7/2020 -7/2021 than NY County, aka, Manhattan. 3 other boroughs were in the top 10 counties for people moving out countrywide. Only Staten Island didn't make the top 10.
Awakening after more than two years of Covid. I don't know if I will do this, but after seeing and navigating the curb on 22 and 1st Ave (the metal of the lowered curb is dangerously sticking out), and after seeing what the West Side Rag is doing, I've decided to up the game if I can. The warmer weather will help also. There are things in our neighborhood that are just plain wrong and need attention. Possibly the most annoying thing right now are the riff-raff and their "goods" hanging out on 14 St. Even with the photo-op politicians at the corner of 14 and First recently, nothing seems to have changed.
14th Street between First and A is filled with all kinds of two-legged shit. Then add the bikes that are zooming along the sidewalk. I've been clipped by the Domino Pizza delivery guy several times. I've been here for several years, but am getting more and more disgusted with the neighborhood, the shitty state of property and having endured a long cold winter without much heat. Life is too short to endure this place and neighborhood for much longer. In fact, this is the kind of "living" situation that shortens life!
I saw cop cars on First, just off 14th and there were a couple of them near Trader Joe. I went into TJ and saw some cops in there talking to one of the employees (a manager, I think). They are beset with shoplifters. I think it may be harder to shoplift from Target because they have security guards who look like people you wouldn't want to mess with.
New York City is becoming a horrible place to live in and Stuyvesant Town has gone so far downhill that I doubt it will ever come back to being a pleasant place to live. The apartments are nice and roomy (therefore more chilly!), but the property is decaying, the grounds are dangerous and dirty because of all the dog crap and the speeding bicycles. We really have no Public Safety to speak of. When I first moved in we had a real Security Department, the Oval was truly an oasis because it trees and it was well-kept by the groundsmen. Now, it is just an expanse of scrubby grass and when the weather gets warmer it will be used for those shitty "concerts" where they rent cheapest and least-talented garbage they can find. Then they will put on those overly loud movies. What a shame that New York City is so provincial and has no entertainment off of this campus. (Sarcasm - before I get flamed)
"...and after seeing what the West Side Rag is doing,..."
What are you referring to, STR?
https://www.westsiderag.com/
6:01: One word. Covid.
April 5, 2022 at 8:17 PM
According to NYC's own IBO while the rest of the country's major cities are back at over 97% recovered, NYC comes in at just under 85%.
No place in the US of A saw more people leave during 7/2020 -7/2021 than NY County, aka, Manhattan. 3 other boroughs were in the top 10 counties for people moving out countrywide. Only Staten Island didn't make the top 10.
Couple that with today's Post article - https://nypost.com/2022/04/06/why-majority-of-new-yorkers-would-rather-be-anywhere-else-poll/
"With violent crime on the rise and showing no signs of a letup, a majority of voters said their family would be better off if they fled New York City, a new survey reveals.
The poll, released Wednesday by Fontas Advisors/Core Decision Analytics, presented voters with this statement: “My family would have a better future if we left New York City permanently.”
The poll found 59% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, while 41% somewhat or strongly disagreed.
That’s a 12 percentage-point jump from voters who were asked the same question a year ago."
12% more voters would leave now than back when the other poster says Manhattan was the #1 loser of people and jobs. Not very positive outlook for NYC.
I hope it's ok to post this here. Can anyone suggest a place where I can print out a few documents for tax purposes? I don't have a printer and wouldn't know how to set one up. I've heard that some places offer printing services. I was hoping there was one on the property, but it seems there isn't. I only need to print about three pages a year strictly for IRS purposes. I wish places (banks, charities) would send hard copies these days!
Thank you.
When I moved in last year no one told me that my building would be open access to anyone who wants in. I live in a building that shares it's laundry room with the ENTIRE Community. Everyone leaves the door open and anyone can enter basically anytime they want. Since I have been here (about a year and a half, actually) we have had multiple homeless people sleeping in the stairwells where the door opens to the roof. Now, we have had a mugging in the building as well. No notification from Beam Losers, of course. I hope they learn from this and stop the ridiculous policy of allowing everyone into this building, however, seeing the lack of any professionalism by the staff of Beam Losers, I will not hold my breath. I will not be renewing my lease for this very poorly run housing project.
Saw a sign management posted on the property today about a social group forming for people with mental disabilities.
No, not a Trump rally…!
The big open secret about PCVST, that I’m sure is never to be uttered in the Leasing office, is that it has long been known as an autism hotspot. And built over the toxic brownfield left from the old gashouses. Coincidence?
April 8 @ 2:20 Try this place on 9th Street betw 1st and 2nd Ave: http://www.sourceunltd.com/
I used to pay $25 to fill my gas tank now it's $75. I used to be able to afford steak now it's hamburgers when that's not $15 per pound. Bidenflation, wooo, let's go Democrats!
Saw a sign management posted on the property today about a social group forming for people with mental disabilities.
No, not a Trump rally…!
The big open secret about PCVST, that I’m sure is never to be uttered in the Leasing office, is that it has long been known as an autism hotspot. And built over the toxic brownfield left from the old gashouses. Coincidence?
April 9, 2022 at 4:59 PM
Pure unadulterated bullshit. There is NO TRUTH in this post.
Bum found by Security fast asleep on 8th floor stairwell of next building.
They offered him a $500 gift card if he would refer another "renter."
Hahaha!
Funny.
Actually, not so funny at all.
"The big open secret about PCVST, that I’m sure is never to be uttered in the Leasing office, is that it has long been known as an autism hotspot. And built over the toxic brownfield left from the old gashouses. Coincidence?"
You have proof of this? I think you made it up.
Happy Holidays, STR. Easter, Passover or Ramadan. Whichever one is yours I hope it is a very happy one.
We love you.*
*Obviously, I am not from Management! :-)
There is a large package and several pieces of mail in the lobby of my building that is addressed to someone with no apartment number listed. The recipient doesn't have his/her apartment number on the pieces of mail and the name isn't on the directory in the lobby. No doubt a "Personal" thanks to crackpot Hayduk and his brainfart. Some of the mail is from the IRS and the Jury Service. I'm surprised that they don't have an apartment number, but then it is probably because the person was a transient who didn't know what apartment he/she would be dorming/flopping in.
Hayduk did a lot more harm than he did good and the removal of names and refusal to update the directory constitutes a violation of the law.
The people who work in "Management" here really should have remained in the food and beverages and hospitality industry because they are neither qualified nor competent to work in residential real estate.
Where are ya, STR? I hope you are well and happy. We miss you (and worry about you) when we don't hear from you for a while.
Happy Holidays! I've had to look into other things, but I am very much okay. Thanks!
BTW, my old computer has been acting up lately, so....
No relevance to ST/PC. I notice that these political anti Democrat statements are occasionally let through. Not sure why STR.
You are right. I deleted a bunch, but some go through. Unless it has to do with this community, even tangentially, I will try to delete.
No relevance to ST/PC. I notice that these political anti Democrat statements are occasionally let through. Not sure why STR.
Yet at least twice as many anti Republican statements are let through, so what's your complaint?
Again, I will try to make sure that no political posts go through, even if the mention is brief, as in a name. There are many places to speak about politics.
April 13, 3:01pm: For proof of gas tanks, see Galt & Hoy 1879 map. Two tanks on the north side of 20th St between 1st Ave and Ave A; two more on 18th Street between Ave B and Ave C. Can't speak to the autism connection, though--neighborhood way too transitory now.
And 6 more tanks are shown on 14th Street between B & C.
I am currently having serious trouble with my main computer. So I could be absent for a while. Checking here if I can, but....
Yesterday was Earth Day. Blackstone probably honored the day by speeding up its work on the two fossil fuel powered.insults to decency it is building on the property and which is simply to make money for Blackstone. The kind of reckless, life-negating avarice of the Blackstone owner and his flu lies is not merely evil, but sociopathic. These people would be capable of every level of evil and degradation. Vladimir Putin falls into that category . It’s almost like having him be our landlord.
These bastards have cut Resident Services to the bone. The hours are shorter and the telephone waits are longer. They just send text messages that they plan to come into your apartment for this or that without giving any explanation. I think I'm going to change the locks on my door with a private contractor so they can't just barge in whenever it suits them.
OMG! I HATE AND DETEST THIS PLACE AND THE SCUM THAT RUNS IT!
You have proof of this? I think you made it up.
Talk to the Special Ed teachers at PS 40. Autism rates for children have always been high here. This district has long been known to have a very high demand for SE seats.
No, there’s no “proof” linking the two, but it’s a fact that PCVST is built over toxic land, and it’s a fact that there is a high concentration of children with IEPs here. You can draw your own conclusions.
"I am currently having serious trouble with my main computer. So I could be absent for a while. Checking here if I can, but...."
Oh NO! I hope you can get that 'puter fixed or get a new one. We need you, STR!
At least three people "in charge" here, since Blackstone took over, repeatedly informed me, personally, either in phone conversations or in person, looking into my eyes:
They were aware that they were hurting residents here with their many "events," via crowding, strangers, noise which often went on for hours and hours, making it impossible for people living near the Oval to live their lives without ongoing and intense abuse. "Concerts," "family days" on the Oval, food trucks, "marches" "speeches" and such would continue.
"Yes, we know you are being hurt by it. Expect more."
Years back, a "resident services" young woman offered to contact me the day before each scheduled abusive incident so I could plan to leave my home during those hours.
Fred Knapp, the former chief counsel here, was among those who repeatedly spoke with me, in person, and asserted the right to hurt me and all others living there in this manner. I won't name more names right now - some of these people are gone. Some are still working here.
Recently, I spoke with another person, here for years, but new for me. She quietly, but firmly, made the same assertions: "events" do not interfere with our lives and we have no right to demand they stop. What she termed "renovations" will not stop; the noise from their destruction of apartments is permitted. Further, these "flex" apartments are perfectly fine and legal. (It has occurred to me that pretty much all of the horrendous and disruptive noise and vibrations we experience is NOT even from "renovations," but from the destruction and fragmentation of apartments. It was denied to my face. However, I temporarily lived in one of those apartments. It was not "renovated;" the rooms and spaces themselves had been torn down and rearranged to form tiny and unnavigable spaces to shovel more humans inside them. I was shocked at the new arrangement which had replaced rooms with literal closets, carved out tiny spaces, constructed an entry which had the FRONT DOOR OPENING by itself.)
I was recently told that we have no right to expect peace and quiet in our homes except during the designated "quiet hours." Neighbors, and people walking in the streets, can carry on in any noisy, disruptive manner they choose.
My interpretation of these, and other similar assertions, including that Blackstone CANNOT ENFORCE ANY FORMERLY GUARANTEED MEANS OF KEEPING US IN REASONABLE PEACE AND QUIET IN OUR OWN HOMES (due to the homeless problem in the City and the courts' reluctance to evict anyone else and "create more homeless people) is quite simple and stark:
"We, Blackstone/Beam have the absolute right to tell you to go hell as we collect money for that ability. We will continue illegally destroying apartments, filling them with selfish, noisy, self-indulgent human garbage, ENCOURAGE THEM to have big parties, get drunk, yell, scream, drug themselves. These can be students or somewhat older "young adults" who are INVITED to behave like garbage."
"We, Blackstone, are continuing turning this place into commercial shit, making your lives unbearable. F**k you, because YOU HAVE NO WAY TO STOP IT. And, we're legally entitled to do this."
I think they have cut Resident Services to the bone. When you call you get a message that there are x number of callers ahead of you and advise a call-back. What if your toilet is overflowing all through the apartment or there is some other emergency situation?
Cannot wait to get out of this dump. Paying over $3k a month to live in a badly-managed project with just about no customer service. They need to hire more staff. Maybe it is because a huge number of the apartments are empty and nobody with a brain and a bank account wants to rent here.
Is anybody else having trouble reading the TA FB? It seems that all recent posts have disappeared and we are back to 2011 and earlier!
The noise from the Flyover State Brats is especially obnoxious tonight and has been for several hours. I anticipate that it will get worse. I also anticipate that they will not be able to fill the empty units with anything else but such scum. I also anticipate that everybody paying market rate rent will soon be moving out.
Anybody noticed that the TA Facebook has gone "funny?" The last ten years-worth of posts have disappeared. Probably got hacked by Management!
Is Facebook down today 4/30/22? Can't see any posts on mine or anybody else's.
At times, like today, I feel this place is hopeless. It seems one can't go outside and sit in the Oval path and expect any "peace and quiet." I guess one can send off emails or make calls, but you will only get back the same excuses.
>>Is Facebook down today 4/30/22? Can't see any posts on mine or anybody else's.<<
It's fine right now.
A post with photos was on the other Facebook resident site about the ongoing mess on 14th Street and--it is gone!
"At times, like today, I feel this place is hopeless. It seems one can't go outside and sit in the Oval path and expect any "peace and quiet." I guess one can send off emails or make calls, but you will only get back the same excuses."
The facts are true, STR. The word, excuses, though, is inaccurate. Those whose paychecks come from Blackstone/Beam do not offer "excuses" for both ruining our lives, and encouraging the worst sorts of behaviors from morons living here, as well as morons coming in from the outside.
There has been no peace and quiet on the Oval, with the exception of the brief pandemic lockdown in 2021, for many years now.
As I wrote on April 28th after detailing how a variety of Blackstone employees have declared to me that they are DELIBERATELY HURTING US, the assertion of Blackstone/Beam boils down to:
"We, Blackstone/Beam have the absolute right to tell you to go hell as we collect money for that ability. We will continue illegally destroying apartments, filling them with selfish, noisy, self-indulgent human garbage, ENCOURAGE THEM to have big parties, get drunk, yell, scream, drug themselves. These can be students or somewhat older "young adults" who are INVITED to behave like garbage."
"We, Blackstone, are continuing turning this place into commercial shit, making your lives unbearable. F**k you, because YOU HAVE NO WAY TO STOP IT. And, we're legally entitled to do this."
I clarify that some of the "commercial shit" is the horror show, destruction of trees and other living beings, and CONTINUOUS DEGRADATION, FOR AT LEAST 5 MONTHS A YEAR, OF THE OVAL.
Today a young lady was in the bus carrying a huge dog not in a carrier and without a face mask. I did not give her room to sit next to me. She was violating two mass transit rules, carrying a huge dog out of a carrier. The dog’s snout was practically in my face and not wearing a mask on public transit. Yes they are still mandated on buses. My final point is yes she got off at Avenue A and marched right into the Sty Slum. These are the kind of entitled cretins we are getting here. Rule breakers.
Oval open only one day and already looks like a scruffy, nasty mess. Now the movies and concerts start. Sickening ploys to display so called amenities. I dread summers here in the Oval.
Maybe slightly OT, but rules about dogs on mass transit have not been enforced for many years now. Provided one enters by the front bus door and pays (latter of which is not done by one-third of riders, per official TA statistics), drivers have been instructed by their union to never interfere with anyone (in order to avoid getting stabbed or shot). This all dates from Bloomberg's tenure, btw.
COVID-19: The City has issued new status: we are now at Yellow, meaning medium risk. The advice is the following:
"In light of our new alert status, NYC Health Dept has updated one key piece of guidance. It’s now advised that people who are at higher risk due to age, underlying health conditions, or being unvaccinated, should consider avoiding crowded indoor gatherings.
"The Health Dept is also doubling down on its guidance for all New Yorkers:
• Get your booster now (only 37% of the city has received their booster shots)
• “Strongly recommending” masks in public indoor settings
• Get tested before and after social gatherings
• If you test positive, call your doctor or 212-COVID19 to be evaluated for available treatment."
"Masks in indoor public settings," here, translates to the now-standard: 'PUT A GODDAMNED MASK PROPERLY ON YOUR FACE BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR APARTMENT DOOR AND KEEP IT ON UNTIL YOU ARE OUTDOORS.'
The news that the Omicron variants are spreading quickly (there are new variants already circulating in other cities and countries, by the way), together with elevated threat level also means: "Do Not Have People In Your Apartment Who Do Not Live There," please, since they may very well be carrying and spreading COVID-19 to others.
Are most of the specimens of human degradation and garbage gonna do that? Do they give any kind of good goddamn whom they sicken?
Not likely, especially with the predators and slime of Blackstone back to inviting tremendous numbers of people to bring their filth into Stuyvesant Town and onto the grass here, making noise and disturbance and misery for the next 5 - 6 months.
"I dread summers here in the Oval."
Quite a few years back, I spoke with one of our more stable, veteran, and more effective Security Guards one lovely Spring morning near the Oval. We looked out on the beauty of the trees, bushes, grass, flowers, squirrels, birds.
He told me that he used to love the Spring. That was over and he now also dreaded and hated the warm and hot weather because of the hell and turmoil caused by people on and around the Oval.
I've written this previously: I've lived here a long time. For many years, the Oval was a refuge for me. After work, or when there was trouble somewhere in my life, I'd take a book out to a bench which faced the Oval. Inevitably, I did less reading than gazing at all of the life on the Oval, especially as dusk came on. Robins, varicolored squirrels, the stately magnificent trees: my breathing became even and deep; my heart stopped pounding over whatever strife had happened that day. There was peace - deep peace and contentment, and healing. Good for the psyche, the mind, the heart, the body.
For years now: pure hell, day and especially, night. I avoid it when I can, and grit my teeth and try to look/listen in other directions for approximately 167 days beginning May 1st. (That is the number of days of May through mid-October).
This is my home. Soul-less predators and the ugly, ugly people they attract, have destroyed my home.
They're putting in new card-readers and issuing new cards for entry to our buildings. It seems the new cards or readers are not sensitive enough to read the card unless it is removed from the wallet or purse. Such a boon for muggers who might want to hang out near our entrances! Also very inconvenient if you are carrying a load of shopping.
CAN'T THESE MORONS EVER GET ANYTHING RIGHT? The answer to that rhetorical question is patently and pathetically clear.
We don't have a Management; we have a Cretinous Moron Cabal.
The noise is bad enough. But tonight, Monday, May 2, 2022 is a first for me.
The last month or two, my hallway and living room have sometimes been flooded by marijuana smoke, its chemicals, stink, particles on my body, hair, in my nose and lungs (and ditto for all the other lives in my home). Every so often, on a Saturday morning some p.o.s. in my apartment line smokes their freakin' brains out in the bathroom, which invades my home and body with marijuana.
Tonight, not just a**holes outside walking by, but marijuana pervading and permeating my second bedroom, in which I pay bills, study, write, think, and so on. I cannot locate its source. You know what I'd do if I figured out which stoned and harmful piece of crap is doing this to me.
Maybe tomorrow, and tomorrow night the sick s.o.b.'s will be foiled in their attempt to screw with my family and me for hours, and their moronic and illegal Star Wars shit won't happen on the Oval.
The Oval is NOT for the mentally ill, immature, undisciplined, brainless things which infest it and destroy it for months. It sure as hell isn't a carnival, movie house, food court, music venue, private room for parties, hammocks, beach chairs, boozing, drugging. But, hey, what do I know? I only PAY to be tormented and tortured from May until nearly November every year of my life.
Anyone who pays $3k for even a "real" two bedroom here is NUTS. I pay half that and I think it's not worth it.
You will be glad (not really) to know that I saw four dogs on the Oval inner path where they are not supposed to be. One dog took a dump on this path.
@May 2 at 6:16 PM: I totally relate to what you say and feel. I have been here for many years and I absolutely LOVED the Oval. Even though we were not allowed to go onto the Oval itself, I loved to sit on the benches and listen to the wind blowing through the beautiful tall trees (London Planes, I believe). It was really and truly and "Oasis in the City." It has been destroyed by mindless, money-grubbing morons. I'm not really referring to the people who go on what used to be the Oval; most of them have no idea of how it used to be. I am referring to the avaricious, soulless, human aberrations who owned this property have destroyed what was its most precious and valuable feature for the sake of a few dollars. Most of them don't even know what the Oval was pre-TS/CW/Blackstone. We were robbed of the most precious asset of this entire property and without it, we are living in nothing more or less than a seedy old rundown project that is verging on being a slum.
The Oval events don't bother me. I am a reverse snowbird. I am here in the cold weather but gone in the warm weather.
The NYPD released its citywide crime statistics for April on Tuesday. The data shows that the overall crime index rose 34.2% that month compared to the same period last year.
Hate to be the one to tell you, but, PCVST is a SLUM, not verging on being, but actually right in the middle of being a slum. NYCHA is better run!
I was sitting inside the Oval path and a dog with an owner was on one of the benches. I saw a PS officer walk along the path. Did he say anything? No. Just walked right by. So, if the PS officer will not say anything, why should a resident? Not much earlier, on my way to the Oval, I saw a motorized scooter running. A PS officer was close. Did he say anything? No... BTW, there is some dog crap at the entrance to this path, close by to the small PS booth.
This is Stuy Town.
"Hate to be the one to tell you, but, PCVST is a SLUM, not verging on being, but actually right in the middle of being a slum. NYCHA is better run!"
You got that right! I have friends who live in NYCHA apartments and their buildings and grounds are much, much better run than this dump.
STR, PS officers are purely for ornamental purposes. They are young boys who are untrained and incapable of handling anything but their cell phones, which they are usually glued to.
There is no Public Safety here and I doubt very much that the flyover state parents who have their spawn parked here during school time are aware of that. Never mind that they can't do anything about any crimes committed here, they can't even enforce QOL rules. They are told not to. Hayduk told me that they are told not to confront any bicycle riders or any other rule-breaker. Yes, he told me that to my face and I will swear to that on oath if ever asked.
Now these jackasses are touting their food truck. More litter and garbage, but the rats will love it.
If you have heard about the idiot throwing glass bottles out of their window at 277 Ave C, let me tell you that isn't the only problem resident. We also have someone who "walks" their dog in the stairwell. Every morning their is a puddle of urine on one landing or another.
We need cameras on every floor. It was never necessary in the past, but we have a different breed of "human" renting here now. They talk about NYCHA, but most of the people who live there are 100% more decent and civilized than what we've got here.
@May 6 10:20 AM: That is just disgusting!
Please, this place has it’s problems for sure, but I guarantee you anyone in a NYCHA apartment would swap it for yours in a heartbeat.
Cameras would be of no help here, because management doesn’t care, especially if the tenant is a student or roomie sharing a high rent apartment.
It’s true that mismanagement doesn’t care. They are just rent collectors.
By now, you have heard about the stoppage of the CHP plants on our property. This is good news, though I have concerns. Will the plant on the west be removed? And when? And what exactly is Blackstone's agenda? As was pointed out several times, Blackstone has a bad reputation. Does this change that? Some of the same residents who were pointing out how terrible Blackstone is, now seem to be singing a different tune. True? As I look around this place, it has never been so badly managed. All is forgiven now? Best buddies. A bigger seat at the table?
Just the upcoming events in the oval show that nothing has changed here. That is a blatant invasion of Oval dweller’s privacy. The dorm population continues to increase and transients abound. Otis actually getting worse.
I'm glad that Blackstone is not going ahead with the CHP plants, but I DO NOT trust them at all. They are a dirty company and have a very well-earned bad reputation. We should never have been sold out to such a vile entity. They have no respect for human life or any form of life and this has been well-documented.
I don't blame all the people who work for them because everybody needs a job, but they dance to the tune their piper plays and, in the case of Blackstone, the tune is to make as money as possible for their masters and LIFE in all its forms be damned.
MetLife was no saintly entity. They put in the windows and heating systems and to call those things garbage is to insult garbage. The MetLife of old ran the place very well, though they were a basically racist, fascistic company. Working for them was no joy, but they did keep the place pleasantly habitable and took great care of the grounds. The description "Oasis in The City" really applied at that time; now it is a scruffy shadow of itself. Can't turn back the clock though. It is what it is and I don't think it will get better. Not under current management and ownership.
The TA finally did something right and achieved something good. At least they never colluded with Management to take tenants on a tour of the CHP plants, like they did with the failure of heating system.
What I wonder (as transparency is zero here) if Blackstone felt it was not worth it. Supposedly, there was a lawsuit filed by certain tenants. Also the pipe work being done on the west side of the 20th Street loop was causing a lot of problems. And the first city application had to be reworked by Blackstone. All of this suggests serious trouble. Maybe Blackstone decided to walk away....
Maybe this means management will finally fill in the fetid open pits that have been sitting on the east end of the 20th Street Loop since construction stopped over 2 years ago?
Some “dog parent” loudly whining on FB about dogs choking on peanut shells left on the lawns from the squirrel feeders.
Rules are rules, he says. You must obey. No feeding the wildlife!
What about the rule that says said dogs are not allowed on the lawn in the first place?
But I do appreciate being informed about this “problem”. Now that I know of it, I’m off to buy a big bag of peanuts!
STR, I think you are probably right. Blackstone did not cancel the CHP project out of altruism (something never known of in their realm). It no doubt turned out to be not worth the investment. They don't care about us. They care about us as much as Putin cares about human life. Life is of no value to him. Tenants lives are of no value to Schwartzshit, Gray, et al.
I doubt very much that the TA convinced Blackstone to not go ahead with the cancer-causing CHP plants. I also doubt TOTALLY that Blackstone reversed its decision out of decency, ethical considerations or even the slightest smidge of decency (they don't even have the slightest smidge of decency in the whole organization). There must have been some monetary reason for them to make such decision. Remember, we are dealing with a corrupt, avaricious, anti-human, anti-life entity. There is no conscience or caring about anything but money when it comes to these people.
I doubt very much that conscience, decency or ethics factored into Blackstone's decision. No more than such would enter into a decision by Putin, Stalin, Hitler, et al.
Screechy young women singing and screeching at 2:42 AM. Only those from the Flyover States do that.
>>Also the pipe work being done on the west side of the 20th Street loop was causing a lot of problems.<<
I meant the east side!
We don't know if the piping and more on the east side of the loop was turning out to be a disaster with more disaster coming up. It looks terrible over there with the work that was done and still needed to be done. Now they have to fix it. We will see about that!
>>Rules are rules, he says.<<
Rules are constantly being broken. Constantly. I see that all the time. Five minutes don't go by without another rule broken. And I'm not referring to peanut shells.
>>I doubt very much that the TA convinced Blackstone to not go ahead with the cancer-causing CHP plants.<<
In the spirit of transparency (ha!), the TA should give the number of resident letters they received against this plant. I was one, but there are over 30,000 residents here. At the tenant meeting in front of the plant on the east side, Powers turned up, Steinberg ...and a smattering of tenants. Pathetic response.
Powers and Steinberg are joined at the hip--partners in corruption. There may be 30,000 (or more) people here, but a large percentage are just temporarily "passing through." Occupants, and not true residents.
New resident moved into 442 E 20th street with a HUGE German Shepard. Over the weight limit and a banned breed. So? No issues, go right ahead.
There is no TA. Despite local pos still trying to believe there is one, they hold no sway. Partnering with the former TA meant votes for now it means votes against.
The dogs own this place. Barking loudly and doing whatever. They even have doggie days.
Dogs own this whole country now. Because it's an entire Industry that makes Big Money--for Blackstone, and many others. Despite the fact that nearly 5 million Americans get bitten by dogs annually. (True statistic: Look it up.) Those people who dislike them have zero influence/representation. Dog Lobby is more powerful than the National Rifle Association!
"New resident moved into 442 E 20th street with a HUGE German Shepard. Over the weight limit and a banned breed."
-----
Up until 2-3 years ago exceedingly large and/or banned, aggressive breed dogs were present in STPCV, but fairly uncommon and mostly walked around during after dark/pre-dawn hours. Now these dogs are paraded around in-plain-site with impunity 24/7/365 and comprise a significant percentage of dogs casually observeable anytime inside STPCV.
The overall dog presence here has grown so large that the sound of nonstop, uncontrolled dog barking, exacerbated inside and outside by the architecture, is a commonplace, integral component of the STPCV life experience.
Just another Blackstone contribution to the ghettoization of STPCV.
I've seen a number of very large dogs being casually walked around the Oval. No one stops them. In fact, they are an item. PS doesn't care. Remember the special lanyard that all ST/PCV dogs had to have?
I've seen a number of very large dogs being casually walked around the Oval. No one stops them. In fact, they are an item. PS doesn't care. Remember the special lanyard that all ST/PCV dogs had to have?
May 16, 2022 at 5:14 AM
They'll care AFTER someone gets bit. Then we'll all have to get used to a new name for the community as the person bit will own half the project.
Actually, there was an incident where a man with a small friendly dog had his dog attacked by another dog (larger), and Management was no help. Finally, frustrated, he had to leave. He addressed the incident and the non-response several times on one of the other blogs. This may have been five, even ten, years ago. I'm sure Management does its best that renters and possible renters don't hear about any such incident.
"Actually, there was an incident where a man with a small friendly dog had his dog attacked by another dog (larger), and Management was no help."
From the 11/1/2016 T&V blog:
"In July, Town & Village reported on a Stuyvesant Town pooch who was badly injured after getting mauled by another dog in the complex. Though the 13-year-old Portuguese water dog named Lorca has since recovered from the dog bite, his owner Siddharth Dube has sued the owners of the other dog."
https://town-village.com/2016/11/01/dog-bites-dog-in-stuyvesant-town-owner-files-suit/
"Actually, there was an incident where a man with a small friendly dog had his dog attacked by another dog (larger), and Management was no help."
From the 11/1/2016 T&V blog:
"In July, Town & Village reported on a Stuyvesant Town pooch who was badly injured after getting mauled by another dog in the complex. Though the 13-year-old Portuguese water dog named Lorca has since recovered from the dog bite, his owner Siddharth Dube has sued the owners of the other dog."
https://town-village.com/2016/11/01/dog-bites-dog-in-stuyvesant-town-owner-files-suit/
Big difference between an illegal dog biting another dog versus biting a person. When an illegal dog bites a person, both the owner (Blackstone/Beam Living) and individual can be held liable.
It looks like T&V is permanently defunct. No loss because it was a totally management-friendly rag. We need a newspaper that will view life in this place from a tenants' POV. Life has become unbearable since Blackstone and the rot started with Tishman Speyer and the CWCap interim landlord. I wish that dogs had never been allowed on the property, but that was TS's "brilliant" idea. Life has gone down the sewer ever since TS and the Oval bears no resemblance whatsoever to what it used to be. It used to be a lush tree park and was a pleasure to the eyes and and the soul. All those beautiful tall trees cleaned the air and soothed the soul. What do we have now? A scruffy lawn and no trees to speak of. The trees and grass are what made this place an Oasis in the City. Now it's a shit stain that closely resembles the scruffy NYCHA projects. They can't get families to rent here because the rents much higher than the apartments are worth. There are so many places that have the same kind of rents for much better apartments. Here, the walls are thin and you hear your neighbors fart (and more); the security is practically non-existent and there is a noticeable absence of heat even on the most excruciatingly cold days and nights of winter.
>>Big difference between an illegal dog biting another dog versus biting a person.<<
True, but Blackstone will try to hush it up.... If I remember, the little dog attacked had to go to a veterinarian, too, and that costs money.
>>Life has gone down the sewer ever since TS and the Oval bears no resemblance whatsoever to what it used to be.<<
Certain things here are terrible and this place is badly managed, but it is still some sort of "oasis." I generally find a place, usually in the morning, to enjoy the weather and greenery. It takes no time, however, to see another "rule" being broken. Even in the mornings. I think certain people in Management know this place is inadequately managed, but they do nothing. Victims of just collect your Beam check and keep quiet.
New York Now Has More Airbnb Listings Than Apartments for Rent
MAY 17, 2022
https://www.curbed.com/2022/05/new-york-more-airbnb-listings-apartments-rentals.html
"... Inventory in all of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and northwest Queens has been hovering well below 10,000 units — as of April, the number was just 7,669. Which is several thousand less than the number of entire-apartment and entire-home Airbnb rentals available in New York City right now: 10,572, according to AirDNA, a third-party site that tracks short-term rentals. Inside Airbnb, another site that scrapes Airbnb for listings data, puts the number even higher, at 20,397.
"Ever since Airbnb came on the scene in 2008, there have been concerns that the short-term-rental company would deplete the housing stock by sucking up available rooms, causing prices to rise in cities like New York and San Francisco, where there were already severe housing shortages. The absolute number of available apartments and houses on the site peaked before the pandemic and has since dropped back, according to both Inside Airbnb and AirDNA. But there’s a difference now: There are just so few apartments to be had that Airbnbs make up the majority of the city’s available rentals.
"... On top of the full-home listings, there are nearly 9,000 private and shared rooms available on Airbnb, according to AirDNA.
" Does it matter that there are more Airbnbs than rental listings right now? Doesn’t that point to just how scarce all rentals are (except hotel rooms, that is)? Well, yes, but with people fighting over every decent apartment that comes on the market, it’s worth taking note of how many apartments have been taken out of circulation to become short-term rentals. ...
"... Although the common wisdom has been that more apartments would come on the market in spring and early summer, as leases that were signed during the influx of returning New Yorkers turned over, that doesn’t appear to be happening. Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel, who wrote the Douglas Elliman report, said that while things seemed to be improving in March, with rising inventory and stabilizing rents, in April the shortage began to worsen again. The net-effective median rent in Manhattan went up year-over-year to a new high ($3,925) at the largest rate on record, and listing inventory had the most significant annual decline on record. “The market isn’t turning, it’s actually accelerating,” Miller said. “Greater affordability is not right around the corner."
Pre-Covid 1-bedroom apartments were listed at about $3500 in Stuytown. Now they want $4500 for a 1-bedroom apartment. That's INSANE. Who would pay that amount for 75 year old buildings with many maintenance issues. I've been here over 40 years so my rent is fairly low compared to current rents. This is why they pack students into apartments. Only they through their parents can afford these rents. I do see some families with young kids here but likely they are here for a few years before moving on or their employer gives them a rent stipend.
If you can afford to pay $4500 per month for a 1-bedroom apt you can definitely do much better than Stuytown.
Be aware, they are doing the annual apartment inspections without proper notice and entering apartments without permission.
Inside Airbnb
Adding data to the debate
http://insideairbnb.com/new-york-city/
"Inside Airbnb is a mission driven project that provides data and advocacy about Airbnb's impact on residential communities ... We work towards a vision where data and information empower communities to understand, decide and control the role of renting residential homes to tourists ... The site uses the following Open Source technologies:- D3, Bootstrap, Python, PostgreSQL and Google Fonts.
Maps are designed in Mapbox with OpenStreetMap data and hosted via Mapbox. The site is served by an Amazon S3 bucket."
According to Inside Airbnb (I did not review every STPCV listing)
- At least 40-50 illegal STPCV hotel units currently listed
- Some illegal STPCV hotels charge up to $500-$600 per night
- Some illegal STPCV hotel operators are Airbnb "Superhosts"
- Some illegal STPCV hotel listings are blatant (more than 100 "guests" last year)
- Images in 2-3 listings inside STPCV clearly do not depict STPCV interiors
- Images in 5-6 listings located outside STPCV actually depict STPCV interiors
- Various Airbnb listing strategies can be deployed to evade detection.
----- Don't mention "STPCV" - no brainer - instead describe STPCV location as Gramercy, Lower East Side, Midtown East, Lower Manhattan, etc. (Somehow tech enables Inside Airbnb website to pinpoint illegal hotel locations inside STPCV)
----- Don't post # of guest stays last year or guest reviews.
----- Listing requires 30-day minimum stay. (Vast majority of illegal STPCV hotels list 30-day minimum, but then follow-up guest reviews will explicitly state their illegal STPCV hotel occupancy was a specified number of days, 1 week or 2 weeks.)
----- A few illegal STPCV hotel listings are simply "blocked" (tech screens out unrecognized computer inquiry from location inside STPCV?)
Incredibly, numerous illegal STPCV hotel operators destroying our community cynically insert the word "Oasis" into their listings to describe the location of dozens of illegal STPCV hotels.
BLACKSTONE SUCKS
"If you can afford to pay $4500 per month for a 1-bedroom apt you can definitely do much better than Stuytown."
One would certainly think so. I , like you, have been here a while and pay a true R/S rent. It boggles my mind the rents that they are now charging for such a poorly managed, dirty property. The irony, for me, is that I thought that the property maintenance would improve the more management would charge for rent, but that isn't the case. Pick any day at any time and one can see piles of dog shit, shit stains, puddles of piss, and litter all over the grounds. This all could could be addressed through hiring more grounds staff. I could understand management not giving a crap about the condition of things here if every apartment was rented, but there is tons of availability!
Of course it goes without saying that the tenants association does absolutely nothing about the conditions here. They don't even give it lip service. How about something? Anything Tenants association? You're certainly not bashful about asking me for fifty bucks which ain't gonna happen. By the way, how's the "affordable condominium conversion"coming along?
"Be aware, they are doing the annual apartment inspections without proper notice and entering apartments without permission."
Can you prove that?
Who is "they" you refer to? Blackstone?
Without legal proof your accusation alleging multiple criminal and civil violations is irresponsible.
"If you can afford to pay $4500 per month for a 1-bedroom apt you can definitely do much better than Stuytown."
Battery Park City...the new (nice) StuyTown!
This Airbnb business doesn’t surprise me at all. A student in my building was greeting a guest a couple of weeks ago. Management turns a blind eye to this despicable business because the Airbnb brings in the money. I have overhear young people discussing renting”rooms” here.
>>Can you prove that?
Who is "they" you refer to? Blackstone?
Without legal proof your accusation alleging multiple criminal and civil violations is irresponsible.<<
You, apparently, are yet another shill for management.
Yes, I can prove it. It happened to me. I received no notice from management about entry or the inspection and I arrived home to find one of their nice little slips of white paper on my dining room table saying they entered my apartment for the Local Law inspection.
Several years ago they operated just like this, when called out on it they started sending letters. Apparently they (Yes, Blackstone, or I guess you could call them Beam Living) are up to their old tricks, but you can just go on defending them.
I would notify the police if anybody had been in my apartment without my permission. You don't know what they might slip into their pockets, what they might snoop and whether or not they looked to see what data was on your computer.
Entering without warning is against the law (my lawyer told me that) and they most certainly should not be allowed to get away with it. They most certainly won't get away with it if they ever try that on me. I will be after them and the LL like a hound of hell.
"Listing requires 30-day minimum stay. (Vast majority of illegal STPCV hotels list 30-day minimum, but then follow-up guest reviews will explicitly state their illegal STPCV hotel occupancy was a specified number of days, 1 week or 2 weeks.)"
ANY AirBnb here in STPCV is illegal, whether it's 1 day, 30 day minimum, or 50 or 100, etc. .
"Inspections?"
Oh, really?
NEWS FLASH: COVID-19, which sickens, sometimes puts people in the hospital, and STILL sometimes KILLS people, is alive and well.
New York City is on ORANGE (HIGH) ALERT.
Today is Thursday, May 19,2022. COVID IS SPREADING RAPIDLY IN NEW YORK CITY ONCE AGAIN.
NO ONE IS PERMITTED TO ENTER A TENANT'S APARTMENT UNLESS THE TENANT IS UNCONCERNED ABOUT CONTRACTING OR TRANSMITTING A KILLER DISEASE WHICH IS MULTIPLYING HERE.
I am not consenting to possible COVID-19 carriers to entering my home.
Thank you.
Speaking of ORANGE, that was the color of the water that came through my shower today. I guess I will have that "sun-kissed look" for the rest of the day.
Considering how old and decrepit the buildings are, and that no attempt to put lipstick on the pig is going to work, Management should focus on keeping the grounds as bucolic as possible. The beautiful grounds are really all they have got going for them and if they ruin them by sacrificing them to crappy events, dogs and "convenient" downing of trees, they will soon have NOTHING to sell. The apartments are old, drafty, NON-soundproof and really no better than those in any very old building (excepting the Dakota and buildings in that price bracket). The trees (especially at this time of year) are breathtakingly beautiful in their best green God-given regalia and the pollen be damned.
The stupid dumbasses in City Hall are destroying thousands of trees along the East River for an engineering project that will probably fail, so Stuyvesant Town bucolic appeal is really all we have left to help maintain our sanity.
"I am not consenting to possible COVID-19 carriers to entering my home."
Me neither, and they can huff and puff and threaten all they like. My health is more important than any of their City or Management-mandated inspections. It's not like they ever remedy anything if they find anything that is amiss. If they attempt to, they do a cock-up job because they don't employ professionals anymore.
Does everybody hear the M-Fers letting off fireworks on the 14th Street Loop? We are going to have to deal with this until July 4. How about the cops and/or our useless Public Safety do a bit of patrolling around here?
As well as the fireworks there were several groups of loud assholes braying and screaming along the 14th Street Loop (Ave A end). It is impossible to get a good night's sleep in this dump, especially if you are on a lower floor on the Loop. We need a Police and PS presence there.
Some guy puking his guts up under my window at 4 this morning. Lovely!
Dog shit in stairwell and piss in the elevator.
So what else is new?
I know the NYT is behind a paywall, but if you can, take a look
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/nyregion/the-stigma-attached-to-housing-vouchers.html
Clearly the recipient of the housing voucher is standing in PCVST. For 3 years since being evicted (for…?), one else would rent to her. But Blackstone said, “Yeah, we’ll take that cash! How many you got?”
So, the rumors and hunches are true. They are taking in people on public assistance, government pays the rent.
Yet another thing that dare not be uttered in the Leasing office.
STR, I subscribe to the online NYT and I found that article and read it. However, I could not find any mention of Blackstone and the quote you cite. Maybe somebody from Blackstone asked the NYT to delete that reference. It is obvious that one of the ladies featured in the article is standing just outside of either ST or PCV.
I hope she will be very happy here. Poverty is not a sin nor a crime and it's not a sign of having a bad character. I grew up in poverty and, while never homeless, was often hungry and cold.
I would like to know if the vouchers cover the cost of only an unrenovated apartment. I can't imagine them covering the cost of a renovated apartment.
10:26, the quote is figurative, not literal. No one from Blackstone actually said that (publicly).
Poverty isn’t a crime, and perhaps there are people here that no one would ever know are using government vouchers to pay the rent. But I know of one case in my building where the tenants, whom I suspected could not possibly afford $40k/yr rent, were nothing but trouble, and thankfully departed after a year.
This only goes to illustrate how Blackstone is desperate for renters, and will take anything they can get.
May 27, 2022 at 10:26 PM
"... Poverty is not a sin nor a crime and it's not a sign of having a bad character. I grew up in poverty and, while never homeless, was often hungry and cold..."
-----
While It is good to know you are no longer hungry, it is well established historical fact that Blackstone engineers intentionally manipulate a functioning heating system to ensure the vast majority STPCV residential apartments remain cold, often illegally cold, when outside temperatures drop during winter months.
I've had a 2-bedroom apt next to mine vacant for 9 months now. I hope it stays vacant for years. How dumb is this management? They'd rather have a vacant apartment generating no rent than lowering the rent and getting a tenant(s) paying rent. DUH!!!
This has been occurring for quite a while now. There has been subsidized housing here. I had an apartment on my floor in which three families were priced out. I believe that the current tenants who have been there four or so years are subsidized. It is a renovated apartment. They are quiet tenants, but it does not seem right that families were priced out.
They rent almost exclusively now to students, transients, corporations and city subsidized. Who would pay over 4,000 a month here for a declining housing project with no amenities.
I had a two bedroom vacant on my floor for the same amount of time. Someone finally moved in, looks like a single tenant. Probably city subsidized or awaiting roomies. Who could or want to afford the rent in a two bedroom. I also see airline attendants here who probably share apartments.
'While It is good to know you are no longer hungry, it is well established historical fact that Blackstone engineers intentionally manipulate a functioning heating system to ensure the vast majority STPCV residential apartments remain cold, often illegally cold, when outside temperatures drop during winter months.'
Is it really that bad? We had heard rumors that there is no heat in some apartments during the winter months, but thought it was just hyperbole. If that turns out to be true, we will give them a lot of trouble. And I mean A LOT of trouble! Stay tuned.
but thought it was just hyperbole.
To some degree, it is. Heating and plumbing systems in this complex date to the 1940s. Heating is wildly uneven, some shiver while others sweat. Brown and orange water often flow from the faucets, drains back up and your neighbors’ waste water rises up in your tub and sinks.
But I’m sure they discussed all this with you in the leasing office before you signed, right?
May 29 at 1:16 AM poster seems to be living in an Alternate Reality.
My advice to 1:16 AM would be to get out BEFORE next winter comes (if you can afford to move). Blackstone can make more trouble for you than you can even dream about creating for them.
"But I’m sure they discussed all this with you in the leasing office before you signed, right?"
Wrong. Couldn't be more wrong. We have had brown water come through the shower. That was a complete surprise. I think I have been living in an Alternate Reality. If things get as bad as people on this board say, we will be telling them to stick their lease where it will be most uncomfortable. For what they are charging us, we are not going to take any abuse from these people. We knew that Blackstone has a bad reputation and does not employ the best and the brightest, but the complex is nice and green and so far so good.
Yes the heat situation can be bad in some apartments . Mine was cold the first two months of winter but then I got adequate heat in February and March. Some tenants have cold apartments all winter long. If you think you are going to be able to fight it, you are wrong. They often give minimal legal which is cold and if you call the city they Jack up the heat when the inspector comes. We have no TA to help us. The organization is a farce. If your apartment is cold , you can move. They have been getting away with this for years. Don’t think there is anything you can do about it. Sorry. Our local politicians are also aware and do nothing.
It's not a "complex"--it's a "campus." Have you met your friendly student "Good Neighbors" yet? Do you like to party? They do.
It's feast or famine with the heat situation during winter though mostly famine for the apartments. I've been here over 40 years and I've only had to use space heaters in the past 5 winters. I'm older now so I feel the cold more but I cycle during the winter so I can handle cold better than most. I know there's been a concerted effort in reducing the amount of heat to each apartment. I remember when MetLife owned this place I would often get so much heat I'd have to open the windows during winter because there is no heat shut-off valve attached to the radiator.
I wonder if they'll be rationing electricity and water next. Maybe we'll get 'brownouts' like 3rd world countries. Stay tuned.....
>>It's not a "complex"--it's a "campus."<<
An unfortunate term that is now used by Beam. Campus does not mean what we think it means, but rather is a new term for the "grounds" and buildings...
Almost everybody I know here (and I know a lot of people as I've been here a long time) uses one or two space heaters during the winter months. MetLife used to give very adequate heat and it was summer that we dreaded because we didn't have air conditioning for several years ago. Since the property was sold we have had minimal or no heat whatsoever. I know MetLife installed the stupid "sensor" system, but apart from it making no sense because some people cook (food) in their apartments and some are hardly ever home, we are at the mercy of those tenants who have those ridiculous sensors in their homes. Having said that, I have a neighbor who has the sensor in her apartment and she would love to get some heat! Another one was too hot and asked them to turn the heat down. The sensors seem to not respond to the heat or lack of heat. Good quality space heaters are an absolute MUST for most tenants, though I fear for some of the really long-timers (sounds like a prison sentence!) who don't have the wiring updated for a/c and therefore don't have a safe outlet to plug a space heater into. Getting wired for a/c was an option and many people opted out. Now those people are the really old people here and they feel the cold more intensely and are the most likely to cause the place to go up in flames because they are using space heaters on inadequate wiring.
Blackstone doesn't care though. I think they would welcome the excuse to tear the buildings down and they certainly don't care about the safety and welfare of any tenants, particularly the old people.
This is a copy of something I saw on Facebook (a gardeners' page). Couldn't copy the photograph and the article is a bit long, but here goes:
"Please, for the love of all things nature, if you’re thinking of getting a honeybee hive, consider the many other little lives you might be harming. Studies show time and again how much their presence can negatively affect native bees, but unfortunately I don’t need a study to tell me what I’m witnessing with my own eyes. Last fall, neighbors about a quarter of a mile down the road added two hives to their yard but didn’t plant any flowers to feed them. What has happened now is exactly what I predicted: Almost no other neighbors grow flowers, not even clover in their lawns, so the honeybees are coming to our habitat – en masse.
I like and appreciate honeybees, just as I like and appreciate all animals. But I don’t unleash them in my backyard for the same reason I don’t import a tiger or a hippo or a panda and plop them in the garden. Honeybees are imported, captive-bred, domesticated animals who must be tended to and fed, and they must be fed a LOT. In one month, a single hive takes away an amount of pollen that could otherwise have fed 100,000 progeny of the average solitary native bee.
Each year I look forward to the amazing diversity of wasps, flies, bees, beetles, moths and butterflies (all pollinators in their own right) on the mountain mint. There are so many that it’s hard to capture them all, and I’ve learned a lot of new species just by watching the action on the abundant flowers. But this year our extensive mountain mint patches are dominated by honeybees, and I’ve even been watching them knock other insects off the flowers because they move in such a frantic manner. I have to look long and carefully to see any native pollinators.
I haven’t seen any studies yet on how deprived wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, and moths have probably become in the presence of honeybees; the research so far has focused on competition with native bees for floral resources. But clearly many of these other insects aren’t even bothering to try here this year, and I’m guessing that’s because the nectar is too quickly depleted.
Recently I heard someone from a local honeybee association say that he doesn’t encourage new beekeepers to plant flowers. “There are plenty of flowers around,” he said, noting the county’s parks. But he must not have even been thinking about native bees, most of whom can’t fly far at all for food; in many cases we’re talking mere feet/yards as opposed to the miles a honeybee can fly. If a honeybee colony is placed near a natural area or habitat garden, well, godspeed to all the little homebodies who have no place else to go. It’s like a beer-festival-sized crowd of thousands descending on a tiny little corner market.
I hope more people will become wild beekeepers instead by planting native flowers, leaving leaves and stalks for nesting and overwintering bees, avoiding pesticides, and spreading the word to those well-meaning but misguided folks who think they’re saving the bees when they’re actually actively displacing the ones who really need to be saved.
Pictured here: A honeybee and one of the only other insects I’ve seen this week on the mountain mint, a thick-headed fly (who mimics wasps but parasitizes bees) on mountain mint. (More on these cool flies later!)"
Let me summarize all the previous comments in one sentence:
This place has become a DUMP.
Thank you.
Off-topic I know but does anybody know why the Walgreens Pharmacy on First Avenue at 17th Street is "temporarily closed?" The only info I could get was that there was a store emergency. I have a scrip there waiting to be picked up. I need the medication!
I’m curious to know if most of these complaints are coming from Stuytown or Peter Cooper - I was shown 3 apartments in Peter Cooper recently and they were beautiful as well as quiet - the grounds were well maintained - am I going to be in for a shock when I move there? I’m coming from a doorman building on the UES - I’m in my mid 40s with a young daughter - any comments would be helpful
Well, there's no doorman, as you know. Some "rules" will be ignored. Really depends on the building and who your neighbors are.
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