Building tenants join fight for rent stabilization Continued from page 1
John St. since 2007 with their two kids. Their daughter, who now goes to Lower Manhattan Community Middle School, attended P.S. 234 and their son is currently a student there. “We very much set ourselves to be part of this community,” Roodman said in a phone interview last week. In April, when they received their renewal notice for their rent, it was raised 28 percent, he said. “Suffice to say we were shocked,” he said. “What is this all about — how can you just raise it 28 percent. They went from $7,200 to $9,500 — just like that, bang.” Attorney Serge Joseph, who has litigated two cases on 421-g, said the vacancy decontrol that usually kicks in when rents get too high, does not apply to this Lower Manhattan law. Tafrate retained Joseph after reading his blog. He brought up 421-g with his building’s manager and “three days later they sued [us] in New York Supreme Court,” he said. Kibel owns 85 John St. and 90 West St. as well as other properties. Sherwin Belkin, Kibel’s attorney, did not say whether the apartments were rent stabilized, in an email to Downtown Express. He said, “90 West St. is fully compliant with the existing state and city laws, and our units reflect the pricing of the Lower Manhattan rental market. We are committed to
providing the best possible value to our residents.” Roodman has been organizing the tenants at 85 John St. “Since this has happened, we’ve galvanized a lot of people in the building here and a few others,” he said. The Journal reported that at least 32 buildings — over 5,000 apartments — are under the 421-g program. People from those buildings have been contacting Roodman. “I’m prepared to fight,” West said at the meeting. Joseph spoke after West and told those gathered, “The statute is very clear and unambiguous.” The only exception is if the building is a cooperative or a condo, he said. Records from the Department of Finance shows that Kibel is receiving $351,617.42 residential conversion abatement for 90 West. Joseph was the lawyer in a 2009 case in which a tenant at 37 Wall St. stopped paying his rent due to what he said were adverse conditions in the apartment, including mice. The landlord sued him, but a judge ruled that the building was receiving the tax abatement and thus the apartment was subject to rent stabilization. In 2010, Downtown Express reported that over 5,000 apartments could be rent stabilized in Lower Manhattan, but not many tenants took advantage. More recently, on May 20, a New York State Supreme Court judge affirmed the earlier decision. If a land-
Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic
90 West St. tenants met Monday to talk about winning rent protections based on a law that only applies to Lower Manhattan.
lord is receiving the tax abatement, its units are subject to rent stabilization. There four benefits when you have rent stabilized apartment, Joseph explained. A tenant has the right to renew their lease, will know what the increase is as it is set by the Rent Guidelines Board, the right not to be evicted except for very specific grounds and the right to succession to a family member, he said. On June 29, the Rent Guidelines Board voted for a rent freeze for the first time in its history. There is no increase for a one-year lease and a two percent increase for a two-year lease. Joseph suggested a multi-plaintiff case to the tenants gathered as it is both cost effective and “sends a fairly
loud strong message to a judge.” The landlord cannot retaliate against you for exercising your rights, Joseph told them. “This is a community wide issue,” said Paul Newell, Democratic District Leader, who attended the 90 West meeting. “We have an opportunity here to dramatically change the neighborhood’s character for the better. Community Board 1 member Tom Goodkind, for half a decade now, has been working with Joseph to spread the word about 421-g and rent stabilization. “You’re all here — that’s incredible,” said Goodkind. “I’m really blown away. You’re neighbors — we want to keep you as neighbors.”
TRANSIT SAM ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE SUSPENDED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY Happy Independence Day! With July 4th on Saturday and most workplaces taking the holiday on Friday, the big getaway will be Thursday afternoon, but don’t be surprised if you see a surge Wednesday afternoon as well. Expect a crunch at every bridge and tunnel out of Lower Manhattan. The F.D.R. and West St. will be jammed with drivers heading to the Holland and Battery tunnels as well as East River bridges. On Sunday evening, drivers will take the Holland and Battery back into the city, as well as the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. Fireworks over the East River this Fourth! In addition to the entire Brooklyn Bridge, the Macy’s show will close streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn near the river on Saturday afternoon into the evening. In Manhattan, the F.D.R. will close between the Battery Park Underpass and Houston St. beginning around 4 p.m. Streets in the area
bounded by Grand St., the Brooklyn Bridge, the F.D.R., and East Broadway will gradually close, beginning with the streets closest to the river. This means more traffic on the avenues west of First and on the West Side Highway. The Manhattan Bridge will stay open in both directions during the fireworks, but beware that traffic will be very slow. Not only will all the Brooklyn Bridge traffic divert to the Manhattan, but drivers will slow down to get a view of the fireworks. Avoid driving between Brooklyn and Manhattan during the show. Additionally, the pedestrian and bike paths on the Manhattan Bridge will close. Both meter and alternate side parking rules are suspended Friday and Saturday. Signs that say “No parking” or “No standing” on certain days, in this case Friday and Saturday, are also suspended. Signs with the word “anytime” are still in effect. On West St./Route 9A, one southbound lane will close between Vesey and West Thames Sts. 10 a.m. to noon Thursday.
A 4th of July pig roast will close Cliff St. between John and Fulton Sts. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. The Community Board 1 Summer Fair on Fulton will close Fulton St. between Water St. and Gold St. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Have a question about a parking ticket, traffic rules, public transportation, or street cleaning rules? If so, send me an e-mail to TransitSam@ downtownexpress.com or write to Transit Sam, 322 Eighth Ave.5th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001.
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Cops crack down on vendors targeting tourists B Y DUSICA SU E M A L E SE V IC Competition for tourists is so fierce near the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in the Financial District that rivalries have developed between ticket sellers, police say. “These sightseeing tickets-tours salesmen prey on tourists,” Captain Mark Iocco, the First Precinct’s commander, said last week. “They’re becoming a huge problem.” At the end of May, the New York Post reported that two tourists were bamboozled out of $400 for two tickets to the Staten Island ferry, which is free. The precinct has stepped up its enforcement of the area, stationing additional cops at the terminal and by Battery Park, now known as The Battery, he said at precinct’s community council meeting June 25.
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July 2-July 15, 2015
In addition to the beefed up patrols, plainclothes cops — dressed like tourists with hats and cameras — are also stationed there. The plainclothes are trying to get close enough to listen in on conversations between the hawkers and the tourists — trying to see if there is some kind of fraudulent ticket being sold, said Iocco. “These guys get very very aggressive,” he said. “They’re telling [the tourists] anything to sell them something.” He said police officers have also been reassigned from Soho to that area. The precinct is employing its scooter task force to drive up and down near the sellers to get them off their game a bit, said Iocco. The hawkers have a system, he said, communicating by radio when they see the police com-
ing and then moving to another spot. On a bright day this week, there were numerous ticket sellers conversing with tourists on the plaza near the ferry terminal. Touts shouted “Statue of Liberty, guys?” and “helicopter ride.” There were several uniforms on display — beige, light blue shortsleeved shirts, deep red and blue jackets as well as long-sleeved white shirts with lettering. Some sported green Statue of Liberty crowns while they talked to tourists in Spanish and English. One ticket seller lamented the “one bad apple” — the hawker who sold expensive tickets for the free ferry — as ruining the business for others. “Tourists look at us like scam artists,” he said. The hawker, who identified himself as Rico Rodriguez, wore a
beige shirt that had “Tourism Inc.” and “sightseeing” on it. He said he’s now careful to avoid selling in the park or on Dept. of Transportation property like the ferry terminal. Iocco has met with the Downtown Alliance and the Battery Park City Authority about this issue and is looking to start a campaign for tourists — some sort of signs or handouts in several different languages — to alert them. The police have been making a lot of arrests as well as issuing summons for trespassing — ticket sellers are not allowed to vend on Parks Dept. or Dept. of Transportation property, said Iocco. But so far it has been ineffective. “They get thrown out. They go to court,” he said. “They’re back the next day.” DowntownExpress.com
DowntownExpress.com
July 2-July 15, 2015
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