The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The Lease That Lays the Golden Eggs

The Q gathered together some addresses from the various activist groups fighting landlords for targeting tenants for displacement through many means, from miserable service to harassment to not cashing rent checks to renting only to whites to offering miserly buyouts and intimidating the vulnerable. Evil? Nah. Just all in a day's work on the way towards a Lease That Lays the Golden Eggs - a building free of rent stabilization. Twas a time when the spread between market rate and rent stabilization was not so great. In fact, thousands of people in the neighborhood were given "preferred" rents for years, a discount from the maximum the landlord could charge under stabilization. Those days are gone.

If you or folks you know live in one of these buildings, I encourage you to reach out to the Crown Heights Tenants Union, the Flatbush Tenant Coalition. And remember, you have the right to get a rent history of your apartment, which will show you how much you SHOULD be paying now. The Q just learned that one of these landlords who owns hardware and constructions concerns actually PAYS THEMSELVES for capital improvements that are shoddy. But the receipts are there for the judge! And the landlord can jack up the rent as a result. It's so disgusting and demoralizing as to make your head spin. This is how neighborhoods are torn apart, typically by race and class, and reconfigured to meet the outsized profit goals of the below companies, who have essentially cornered the market in Crown Heights and Flatbush and Lefferts and... Plus remember, this is just a subset of the bigger story in NYC. At this point, these companies are controlling so many lives they're like mini-states. Any of you live in any of these buildings want to share?

Building Address Landlord
990 President Street 11225 burke Leighton
951 Carroll Street 11225 burke Leighton
805 St. Marks Avenue 11213 BK burke Leighton
1834 Caton Ave 11226 BK burke Leighton
1016 President Street 11225 BK burke Leighton
2505 Bedford Avenue 11226 BK burke Leighton
215 Sterling Street 11225 BK burke Leighton
389 East 48 Street 11203 BK burke Leighton
78 Hawthorne Street 11225 BK burke Leighton
31 East 21st Street 11226 BK burke Leighton
21 East 21st Street 11226 BK burke Leighton
726 Ocean Avenue 11226 BK burke Leighton
2201 Cortelyou Road 11226 BK burke Leighton
219 E 17th Street 11226 BK burke Leighton
610/612 Flatbush Avenue 11226 BK burke Leighton
476 Ocean Avenue 11226 BK burke Leighton
458 15th Street 11215 BK burke Leighton
2564 Bedford Avenue 11226 BK burke Leighton
2325 Foster Avenue 11210 BK burke Leighton
608 Flatbush Avenue 11226 burke Leighton
115 Ocean Avenue 11225 BK Jonas
181 HAWTHORNE STREET Jonas
1600 CATON AVENUE Jonas
315 OCEAN PARKWAY Jonas
217 EAST 7 STREET Jonas
465 EAST 7 STREET Jonas
1620 CATON AVENUE Jonas
214 EAST 8 STREET Jonas
714 EAST 27 STREET Jonas
415 WASHINGTON AVENUE Jonas
245 OCEAN PARKWAY Jonas
241 OCEAN PARKWAY Jonas
147 Ocean Avenue Jonas
931 PUTNAM AVE ZT Realty
637 NOSTRAND AVE ZT Realty
5 MACDONOUGH ST ZT Realty
403 MACON ST APT 16 ZT Realty
1045 UNION ST ZT Realty
874 BERGEN ST ZT Realty
95 KINGSTON AVE ZT Realty
244 NEW YORK AVE APT 8 ZT Realty
942 BERGEN ST ZT Realty
1398 DEAN ST ZT Realty
267 CLIFTON PL ZT Realty
303 PUTNAM AVE ZT Realty
299 PUTNAM AVE ZT Realty
306 PROSPECT PL ZT Realty
293 STUYVESANT AVE ZT Realty
585 PARK PL ZT Realty
276 THROOP AVE ZT Realty
3 MACDONOUGH ST ZT Realty
820 FRANKLIN AVENUE ZT Realty
927 PUTNAM AVENUE ZT Realty
1082-1092 President St Shamco
1026 President St. Shamco
1 St. Pauls Ct Shamco
200 E 18th St Shamco
2015 Foster Ave Shamco
215 Martense St. Shamco
350 E 19th St Shamco
538-546 E 21st St Shamco
543-549 E. 21st St. Shamco
75-89 Hawthorne St Shamco
860 Ocean Ave Shamco
1702 Caton Avenue Shamco
1710 Caton Avenue Shamco
1716 Caton Avenue Shamco
1722 Caton Avenue Shamco
50 E. 19th St. Shamco
1901-1907 Dorchester Rd. Shamco
65 E. 19th St. Shamco
2110 Newkirk Avenue Shamco
690 Rogers Ave Shamco
566 Parkside Ave Shamco
558 Parkside Ave Shamco
2101 Bedford Ave Shamco
1204 Ocean Ave Shamco
1553 Ocean Ave Shamco
79-93 Bristol St Shamco
1155 DEAN STREET Renassiance Realty Group
1151 DEAN STREET Renassiance Realty Group
764 ST JOHN'S PLACE Renassiance Realty Group
1561 PITKIN AVENUE Renassiance Realty Group
39 ARGYLE ROAD Renassiance Realty Group
45 ARGYLE ROAD Renassiance Realty Group
285 SCHENECTADY Renassiance Realty Group
1646 UNION STREET Renassiance Realty Group
153 CHAUNCEY ST Renassiance Realty Group
511 Lincoln Place Renassiance Realty Group
493 Lincoln Place Renassiance Realty Group
495 Lincoln Place Renassiance Realty Group
519 Lincoln Place Renassiance Realty Group
505 Lincoln Place Renassiance Realty Group
487 Lincoln Place Renassiance Realty Group
2-12 Sutter Avenue Renassiance Realty Group
235 Utica Avenue Renassiance Realty Group
1701 Utica Avenue Renassiance Realty Group
564 West 126 St. BCB Property Management
556 West 126th Street BCB Property Management
560 West 126th Street BCB Property Management
308 West 88th street BCB Property Management
1159 President St. BCB Property Management
1153 President St., Brooklyn BCB Property Management
543 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
529 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
527 Nostrand, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
525 Nostrand, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
179 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
384 Court St, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
1215 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
317 4th Ave, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
250 Pacific St, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
234 Union Ave, Brooklyn BCB Property Management
285 Court St BCB Property Management
384 Court St BCB Property Management
1059 Union St BCB Property Management
1115 Union St BCB Property Management
442 Lorimer St BCB Property Management
15 Crown Street BCB Property Management
991-993 President Street BCB Property Management
329 Lincoln Place BCB Property Management
315 Lincoln place BCB Property Management
319 Lincoln Place BCB Property Management
323 Lincoln Place BCB Property Management
1171 President Street Pinnacle
382 Eastern Parkway Pinnacle
225 Parkside Avenue Pinnacle
991 Carroll Street Pinnacle
706 Lefferts Avenue Pinnacle
681 Ocean Avenue Pinnacle
1554 Ocean Avenue Pinnacle
459 Schenectady Avenue Pinnacle
176 Clarkson Avenue Pinnacle
3301 Farragut Road Pinnacle
489 Eastern Parkway Pinnacle
481 Eastern Parkway Pinnacle
497 Eastern Parkway Pinnacle
990 Montgomery Street Pinnacle
40 Argyle Road Pinnacle
28 Argyle Road Pinnacle
307 12th Street Pinnacle
961 Washington Avenue Pinnacle
1535 Ocean Avenue Pinnacle
1362 Ocean Avenue Pinnacle
619 Rugby Road Pinnacle
615 Rugby Road Pinnacle
607 Rugby Road Pinnacle
1042 Union Street Pinnacle
292 St Johns Place Pinnacle
926 Carroll Street Pinnacle
1038 Union Street Pinnacle
1597 Bedford Avenue Pinnacle
916 Caroll Street Pinnacle
1048 Union Street Pinnacle
85 Clarkson Avenue Pinnacle
529 East 22nd Street Pinnacle
1060 Union Street Pinnacle
601 Crown Street Pinnacle
426 East 22nd Street Pinnacle
222 Lenox Road Pinnacle
2102 Beverly Road Pinnacle
176 Clarkson Ave Pinnacle

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Add 170 Woodruff Ave to that list.

Kim said...

NNNOOOOO!!! I had posted in a previous post about my traumatizing experience with Pinnacle when we lived up in Washington Heights. I am curious to hear about how they operate their buildings in Bklyn. If it's anything like how they were in WaHi, I feel bad for you, sincerely. They were the WORST management company I had ever dealt with in NYC.

Unknown said...

Better get used to it. The secret is out. Lefterts Gardens and the east side of the park are totally on the radar of the real estate investor class. It's only going to intensify. And there is nothing you can do about it. The state senate is in the pocket of the RE industry, and won't brook any tightening of the rent regulation screws. I say this as someone who is usually sympathetic to private investment in real estate. I'm convinced that if people like you had your way, NYC would turn into Cuba. However one would have to have a heart of stone to remain unmoved by the plight of the many thousands who will be displaced to less attractive, peripheral neighborhoods.

Alex said...

It's quite sad. Even worse is that we have MTOPP working hard against changes that would do a better job of at least protecting the neighborhood's character.

Clarkson FlatBed said...

Yep, Unknown. The two choices are NYC or Cuba. Nothing in-between. Though I must say Cuba sounds awful nice this time of year...

Our country has a long history of subsidy and progressive taxing and medicaid/medicare and farm subsidies and public programs and free schools and work rules, all designed to create a more livable and sustainable democracy.

There is nothing un-American about addressing the distress of millions of Americans when it comes to one of their basic needs - shelter. It's you, Unknown, whom I would argue shows a remarkable lack of historical perspective by calling housing advocacy and rent protections communism, which I suspect is the reason you invoked Cuba.

There is a whole 'nother line of thinking that suggests taking care of the population is actually much better for the oligarchs and fat-cats anyway. Much better to give the peasants their basics and keep them from revolting proper. Because after all, as we've seen throughout the world, then the Libertarian impulse could get a REAL kick in the ass.

Anonymous said...

Franklin Ave.

no_slappz said...

There is a whole 'nother line of thinking that suggests taking care of the population is actually much better for the oligarchs and fat-cats anyway. Much better to give the peasants their basics and keep them from revolting proper.

Yeah, Cuba takes care of its poor. It's an island paradise. That's why the only people who immigrate to Cuba are felons fleeing America.

jessi said...

To the woman above-- I have lived in a Pinnacle building on this list for 6 years and have had no problems. Maybe my standards are low? Also I discovered that many neighbors have been in their apartments for 20 to 25 years. There is a very low turnover there.

Clarkson FlatBed said...

A sliver lining! Jess, can you share which building it is?

Would love to hear from more of you!

Kim said...

Jessi, truly I am happy to hear that you've had no issues with Pinnacle.

We lived in a Pinnacle building for about 3 years in WaHi. It seems Pinnacle was trying to get our building, along with many others up there at the time converted into co-op or condos, but they had to have a certain amount of apartments vacant for a certain amount of time. So what they did was aggressively bully vulnerable tenants, i.e elderly or those who didn't speak very good English and get them out by illegally evicting them, or otherwise using whatever smarmy tactics they use. Also, they would do things like not deal with issues like hot water or heating, or whatever issues in hopes that people would just move, like we did.

If you look up Pinnacle and Joel Weiner, you can easily find articles about a lot of things they have done. I wish none of what we went through upon anyone.

Anonymous said...

Here is an article I found. We were actually right in the thick of when all this was going on, and this is when we moved to PLG, in 2006.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/nyregion/03pinnacle.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Jam said...

Check out Miriam Shasho/Jaysson Sales Inc/611 Flatbush ave Realty co. Etc. (They have a ton of names to outrun their issues, and own at least a handfull of buildings in the neighborhood.) Definitely trying to win the destabilization olympics by all means necessary.

Alex said...

In the affordable housing debate, I wish that there were more of a focus on coop conversions with reasonable buy-in provisions for existing tenants and non-eviction plans for tenants who choose not to buy in.

There are probably not enough market incentives for conversions of highly leveraged buildings, but some buildings have been in the same hands for decades and it would be great to turn them over to new shareholders, who would probably have instant equity, tax benefits, and a greater ability to control their own destiny. Higher rates of home ownership are generally considered to be good for communities, too. Conversions are not perfectly equitable and buy in costs would likely be out of reach for some, but tenant-focused conversions could really benefit a lot of people.

Clearly, I am not holding up the conversion on Clarkson as a model - who the hell knows how they got rid of all of those tenants...