| Alvin
Doyle, President Susan Steinberg, Vice President Message Center 1-866-290-9036 |
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Your Tenants Association hosted its first-ever
meeting for market rate tenants on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. More than 125
tenants showed up to hear about what their options were when presented with
outrageous increases, what the words “non-negotiable” on a lease really
mean, how they could impact the political climate regarding the return of
their apartments to stabilization, and options for breaking a lease.
Market-rate Tenants Association board member Vincent (Dinny) Fitzpatrick spoke about his experiences as a Market Tenant, helping to answer many of his market-rate peer's questions; and another Market-Rate tenant, City Councilmember Dan Garodnick was there to speak about the letter he recently sent to Tishman Speyer protesting, among other things, the extreme rent increases. Tenant advocate, Michael McKee of the Tenants Political Action Committee, spoke about legislative initiatives in the works that would stabilize the rents in Market-Rate units and strengthen rent protections for all. However, it was the market tenants themselves—speaking without having to identify themselves—who provided the greatest value to the meeting by sharing with complete candor and transparency their specific experiences, and information about their leases. By the end of the evening, they realized the power of their numbers, and completed an anonymous Market Rate Tenant Questionnaire. The purpose of the questionnaire is to help create a public source of information that will give tenants a basis for dealing with the landlord, as well as help each other organize.If you haven't already, please take a moment to complete the questionnaire. It is very important to quantify and pool the information disclosed by it. It is also very important to become involved, to join the Tenants Association, and to volunteer, if possible. |
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Our community has a special historic, social and architectural heritage that
deserves acknowledgement and preservation. Stuyvesant Town was the first
public/private partnership developed to provide affordable housing for
returning veterans of World War II. Initially, it was for whites only, but
in the 1960s, a grass-roots civil rights movement among tenants made our
residential haven available to all races and creeds
– a movement that eventually resulted in
this nation’s first fair housing laws.
Architecturally, Stuy Town was the first “superblock” built after World War II that embodied the relatively novel European concept of “tower in the park.” Hard to believe, but at the time, high-rise residences were considered the domain of the rich. In Stuyvesant Town, high-rise housing was available at a reasonable rental – with landscaping to boot. These may not be the most beautiful residential buildings in New York City, but the social and cultural history of Stuyvesant is second to none and this community and its history should be preserved for all time. The landmark effort has begun. The Tenants Association has formed a volunteer committee of talented residents to help create a brochure and a documentary, and plan fund raising events – all to raise awareness of the truly unique nature of our complex and cause a groundswell of support with the public, elected representatives and, ultimately, the New York City Landmarks Commission. Our first event is a square dance. See details in the flyer. |
ONGOING ISSUES:
If you are experiencing decreased services or building wide decreased services, it is important to report and document each episode. If your complaint is about heat, dial 311 for the Central Complaint Bureau. If you need help in reporting a complaint click here for more information. |
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