Comments on: City Throws Loft-Dwellers Into the Streets

By: jen

jen — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:07:40 +0000

I used to live here… one of the most beautiful rooftops to experience in your life. You can see the sunset behind the panoramic view of Manhattan and in the summertime it is magical. I wish it never got shut down for living- otherwise I would still be living there.

By: ytf

ytf — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:08:31 +0000

Dylan asks: “What I don’t get is what makes a place so much more dangerous to live in then to work in. I mean I understand if a place is subdivided up way more than it was intended, or has way more occupants than it should. But none of those are specific to residential vs. commercial use.”

Two important things people in residences do that people in factories and offices don’t do.

1. Cook – the most common source of accidental fires.

2. Sleep – A situation in which one can be unaware of an emergency until it’s too late.

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:07:28 +0000

This city had no intentions other than to protect those who lived there. If a specific building is a residential building, then it is meant to be used that way: meaning that it was not built on the conditions that there would be lofts. The people living in those lofts were very fine financially since most of the apartments ran at $5,000 a month. By subdividing the manufacturing space into little “boxes” basically, the sprinkler system and means of exit were substandard. If a fire broke out in one of the lofts, it would basically be impossible for sprinklers to go on in that loft since the sprinklers were stuck outside between hallways and who knows where hidden in partitions. There are building codes for reasons and if the landlord decides not to follow them, there are penalities…and big ones for something of this sort.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 04:46:26 +0000

Unfortunately, the issue is that landlords are playing games with the city, but the city should not evict people who 1) not aware or should not be aware of building code violations that existed prior to places that are rented as partments. It is not a secret that it is often not dislosed to renters until it’s time to sign the lease, and a landlord gives a “business space” lease agreement, not a renatl agreement when people are already moved in, and there is no way they can argue with that, because initial understanding was that the place is legal. It is NOT the same illegal apartment as some landlords rent basements out – the issue with the city that is not flexible enough to re-zone areas that de-facto became mixed use. I live in a similar situation, and the building actually looks like an apoartment building, and the only problem is that until the city re-zones my block, it is a cat and mouth game between landlords and the DOB. THERE MUST BE A WAY TO FIGHT THIS. We should get an attorneys on our side. The morel issue is that buildings were purchased as manufacturing with certain tax breaks, etc.- so landlords are at fault, and instead of evictions, the city should fine them, not put people out.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:13:49 +0000

#20:

Who do you think kept Bushwick from burning to the ground and worked to rebuild to keep it enough of a neighborhood to attract the so-called “upwardly mobile” there?

You think people are attracted to Bushwick by the extant community? Yeah, please, send me to an awesome hood where everyone hates white people and muggings are commonplace. *snort* This place is CHEAP and CLOSE to the city. Period.

And yeah whining about unfair, illegal rent increases on your home of 30 years from a landlord who wants to push you out for some paler sucker that can pay obscene amounts of money for a shithole is sure a waste of time.

Nobody said anything about illegal actions. I’m talking about rent increases, period. At least half of the apartments in Bushwick are NOT rent regulated. Raising the rents to follow the market is not illegal, and it’s not wrong, either.

And the value of manufacturing is jobs! Not everyone works in Manhattan or can afford to idly paint their day away. Some people need jobs like working in Boar’s Head to support their families.

Wow, how embarrassing to not have understood my comments on manufacturing at all, and to still have replied. Ouch.

By: angel

angel — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:57:19 +0000

the building is for commercail use? yes for sure the tenants in building are artist they live and work that mean commercail. i do not think the building is unsafe the owner did permit to divide it. and did all inspections required has been done and sign off ,if the building unsafe why the city did not vacate the warehouses. i have good expriance with city .if you look in dept of building website the city put new complain on that building saying they have issued the vacate order on 10/2005 about two years ago (two years ago they issued violation for illiagle use ,in court was dissmised the city they want to show they have vacate orders two years ago they are lier they did that to cover there ass) let me tell you something very simple every word i said they have it in dept of building website.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:51:52 +0000

Re:

“Globest.com had a mention yesterday that ZCY Trading Corporation leased 90,000 sq ft in 1717 Troutman for 5 years + 3 year option…”

I believe that is referring the ajoining lot, also included in the “1717″ address, recently vacated by Allen Supply.

By: Armstrong

Armstrong — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 23:01:21 +0000

I walked by there today (sunday) and there were several moving trucks parked in the street and many twenty and thirtysomething people taking furniture out of the building.

Very Sad..

By: Say What?

Say What? — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 18:59:40 +0000

But if they’re brown and never lifted a finger to help themselves in the 30 years they lived in their apartments and were given months of notice for rent increases, the whining industry (the most lucrative one still in business in Bushwick) shifts into high gear.

Now that is the load of shit. Never lifted a finger to help themselves? Who do you think kept Bushwick from burning to the ground and worked to rebuild to keep it enough of a neighborhood to attract the so-called “upwardly mobile” there? And yeah whining about unfair, illegal rent increases on your home of 30 years from a landlord who wants to push you out for some paler sucker that can pay obscene amounts of money for a shithole is sure a waste of time.

And the value of manufacturing is jobs! Not everyone works in Manhattan or can afford to idly paint their day away. Some people need jobs like working in Boar’s Head to support their families.

By: jay

jay — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 01:41:45 +0000

The apartment round up, and commercial round up this week would may have helped with all these issues.