A BHB tipster informs us that the NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal has denied the Pinnacle Group’s appeal to reopen the case for a parking lot in the Riverside Apartments’ courtyard. Basically, he reports that the landlord was attempting to “restore retro-active tenant rents without making any improvements or restoration to the courtyard.”
Pinnacle’s reps still have one day to file an appeal. The landlord lost a similar appeal back in May of a July 2009 DHCR ruling.
BHB photo by C. Scales
As a follow-up to our earlier story about a class action suit, charging, among other things, tenant harassment, brought against Pinnacle Group NY, LLC, owner of the Riverside Apartments, we received the following today as a comment to the prior post:
At a press conference held at the Dunbar Apartments yesterday, Pinnacle tenants in the class action RICO suit announced a “Class Action Classroom”, seminar and forum open to all 60,000 tenants who currently live in Pinnacle buildings in all Boros, and all others who have lived in a Pinnacle building between July 2004 and the present, including all those who have been harassed or driven out of Pinnacle Buildings. The goal is to educate tenants about their rights and how to obtain relief and damages as part of the class. Date: May 23, 2010. Place: Oberia Dempsey Center 127 West 127th Street, Manhattan. information? Call Scott Stringer’s Office, 212-669-8300 or the the law firm of Jenner & Block at 212-891-1600.
We previously reported that the petition of Pinnacle Group NY, the real estate company that owns, among some 400 residential properties in New York City, the historic Riverside Apartments, on Columbia Place between Joralemon and State streets, for review of an administrative decision denying its request for permission to build a parking garage under the courtyard separating the Riverside Apartments from the BQE (and in the process destroy several mature trees), was denied. Now, it appears, Pinnacle has another and potentially greater problem.
Crain’s New York Business: A federal district court judge has given the go-ahead for a class-action lawsuit to proceed against landlord Pinnacle Group NY and its chief executive, Joel Weiner. (more…)
Last July, we reported that the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal had turned down the application of Pinnacle Group, Inc. landlord of the historic Riverside Apartments on Columbia Place, to build an underground parking garage between the apartment buildings and the BQE. Construction of this garage would require removal of mature trees that shade the courtyard and shield the west-facing apartments from noise and pollution from the BQE. Pinnacle filed a petition for administrative review of the initial DHCR ruling, but last week Leslie Torres, Deputy Commissioner of the DHRC, issued an order and opinion denying Pinnacle’s petition. (more…)
Cobble Hill Towers, built in 1879 as an example of better housing for the poor, will soon be converted to condominiums:
Brooklyn Paper: Tenants in the landmark building will be offered the chance to buy their apartments at insiders price such as $230,000 for a studio and $595,000 for a three-bedroom apartment. Owners would then be free to set their own re-sale prices, though residents in the rent-stabilized apartments will not see any changes if they want to go on renting.
Still, the plan will result in the building’s transformation from moderate-income rentals to luxury condos. As a result, it has frightened residents, who are unsure whether they’ll be able to buy, even at the insider prices.
“It’s ridiculous,” said longtime resident Cindy Nurullah. “Some people are going to have to pay more money [to buy their place].”
Hudson Companies’ Principal David Kramer called the concerns misguided, as there is no plan to evict any tenants.
“I think change can be scary to a lot of people,” he said. “We are giving people the best deal in town.”
Editor’s note: Before Homer had his coffee this morning, he incorrectly identified this as a story about Riverside Apartments. Sorry. Now, please carry on.
Weegee photo
A Joralemon Street resident told reporters at the scene of this afternoon’s manhole explosions that a neighbor’s home renovation crew may be to blame. Reports claim that work was being done near 25 Willow Place. [Bklyn20 reports that contractors working for National Grid -- possibly to run a gas line into the home -- may have caused the accident. The Brooklyn Paper reports that Con Ed was working in the area.]
Weegee photo
BHB’s Weegee adds this dispatch:
Looks like contractors doing excavation work in front of the MTA substation at 25 Willow Pl. hit a gas line, which caused the initial blast at Willow Pl. & Joralemon St. The electrical lines affected are all MTA, apparently. Power was supposedly out at Clark St. and Borough Hall for a short while, but was restored quickly. They were checking surrounding homes for carbon monoxide and gas. The paving stones on Joralemon around the manhole are upheaved. The manhole right next to the excavation site cooked off while crews were next to it. No injuries.
Riverside Apartments resident Andy sends in this dispatch and photos:
Here are some photographs I took from the roof of the Riverside Apartments on the corner of Joralemon and Columbia Place around 1:45. I live above Iris Cafe, halfway down Columbia Place. I heard a loud noise that sounded like a truck hitting a bump on the BQE behind my apartment, but it was odd since it echoed through my front door more than the back.
photo by Andy Holz
photo by Andy Holz
And BHB tipster Irene sends in this shot of buckled cobblestone on Joralemon Street:
Irene Carroll photo
Gothamist has a blow by blow of today’s events.
Nabe resident Dan offers this Flickr slideshow.
Headline revised on 1/19/10 based upon additional information
BHB newshound “AW” sends us this tip:
I was walking home tonight down Columbia Place and noticed that one of the formerly empty storefronts was no longer empty. I stopped and talked to the person there. Apparently it’s going to be a coffee shop and will be open this Thursday. It’s called Iris Cafe. As a resident of Riverside Apartments, I for one am very excited!
The Iris Cafe is one of the new restaurants revitalizing the Riverside Apartments strip. An Italian restaurant is planning to open soon in the old River Deli space.
Updated Thursday at 4:50 pm
BHB just got word that the state Division of Housing & Community Renewal has rejected the landlord’s proposal to build a garage at the Riverside Apartments at the westernmost end of Joralemon Street.
Ken Fisher, the attorney for landlord Pinnacle Group, told BHB, “While we are disappointed, this is only the first level of administrative review at DHCR and we are confident that eventually our Landmarks Commission-approved project will move forward and will meet the needs of both area residents for parking as well as the tenants.”
The Pinnacle Group will file an appeal with the state “shortly,” Fisher said.
We now have the state’s full decision, (more…)
A BHB tipster sent us this photo of a notice posted at Riverside Apartments. It suggests that the landlord’s proposed garage project is dead. DEVELOPING….
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