October 4-11, 2018 . www.hutimes.com . www.issuu.com/hempsteaduniondaletimes
after residence in Hempstead, or Long Island for that matter. But Rivoli House soon lost its gleam, its prestige as Rivoli House, Hempstead’s Hempstead’s most luxurious residence, and has for some famed housing complex, sits time now been in the news as a deplorable place to live, on several acres of land in due largely to the failure of the its previous owner to downtown Hempstead. A five make necessary repairs, much less respond to tenants’ -story tall building, Rivoli complaints about poor living conditions. Published VilHouse is located at 40-44 Colage records indicate that the Rivoli House was “cited lumbia Street. for about 75 code violations in the past several years.” Completed in January 1998 Yet the owner remained undeterred by these complaints by Ironburgh Organization, a Manhattan-based group, and violations. the 112-unit apartment building was financed in part It has also been reported that, as a result of the previwith Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and ous owner’s inaction to respond to violations and attend HOME grants from the Nassau County Department of Housing and the Village of Hempstead Community De- to tenants’ complaints, Village officials once toyed with the plan of revoking a tax-break deal worth more than velopment Agency. The building is equipped with a $100,000 a year. This action, according to published 9,000 square foot day-care and after-school tutoring center, laundromat, parking lot for residents, and a com- Village records, was intended to get the owner to address complaints by tenants about poor living condimunity room. Back when it was nearly built, the Rivoli was a jewel. tions, such as lack of heat, security problems, drug activity, falling debris, electrical hazard, mold, and other hazAccessible by all major transportation -- Long Island ards. Railroad, taxi depots, and the MTA Bus Station only a block away--Rivoli’s location made it the most sought-
By Staff Writer
Picture of the Week!
Girl Scouts of Nassau County are JETting into Fun, p. 6
(Cont’d on page 4)
This too, is Hempstead— Former Mayor James A. Garner is Honored Page 4