Riverside Tenants: Garage Flap is Not Over

By on November 19, 2008 2:55 pm in Landmark Preservation

Despite the go ahead yesterday from the Landmark Preservation Commission allowing the Pinnacle Group to build an underground garage at the Riverside Apartments,  tenants are shouting “it’s not over until the Fat Lady sings”.

The tenants group has hired the law firm of Collins Dobkin Miller to represent them at New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to block the landlord from essentially raising rents to build the garage. The NYS DHCR needs to approve the construction before it can proceed.

Pinnacle, according to the tenants, also needs approval from New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Historic Preservation Office.

The group will hold a meeting tomorrow night TONIGHT to discuss the garage construction. State Senator-elect Daniel Squadron will attend.

Update: Squadron tells BHB, “I was sorry to see the LPC decision about Riverside Apartments. The decision sets a dubious precedent for the Heights Historic District and will cause serious disruption in the lives of residents.”

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  • Alex

    Also, the info distributed to tenants suggests that everyone may be evicted for construction as the garage will be built near the heat and water lines. As a tenant, I honestly don’t have a problem with the garage, but being forced out, I do have a problem with.

  • marygoodman

    As far as I know, there is no meeting tonight. Perhaps you are thinking of the Willowtown Association meeting last night, where Mr. Squadron spoke. (The Riverside is within the W-town borders.)

    The landmarks decision is truly inspiring. Due to the current general economic malaise, I expect that soon I will get Landmarks’ ok to park a car for profit in the front yard of my brownstone — climbing roses and clematis be damned! Only the building itself is historic, after all. I will place an astroturf doormat atop the car, along with seasonally appropriate plastic flowers, or bonsai, as funds permit…

  • Jazz

    considering this post is dateline YESTERDAY… tonight would in fact be referring to last night.

  • marygoodman

    Whichever it was, it wasn’t a Riverside Tenants Meeting, although many were in attendance at the Willowtown event.
    Most of us here are more concerned about the garage than what meting was on which date.

  • Alex

    A breif summary from the meeting: The Riverside Tenants have four months to fight the ruling and plan to do so however possible. But even if the garage does get build, Squadron ensures tenants that he’ll prevent it from being classified as a capital improvement, which would cause rent increases.

  • Nancy

    Riverside seems like such an unhappy building. Everyone there is unhappy. It’s like the Gulag, except it’s voluntary.