By Andrew Berman One of the most pressing neighborhood issues on the minds of many West Villagers, and many New Yorkers, is the disappearance of local small businesses. Time after time, we see cherished neighborhood businesses closing, often replaced by chain stores or worse, and storefronts that remain empty for years while property owners seek
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High-Priced Condos Drive Up the Cost of Everything
Dear Mr. Capsis, I met you at the November 23rd inaugural concert at St. Veronica’s Church. I was truly sorry to read in WestView News of your loss. It sounds like you and your cousin John had much in common. I write to you concerning two articles that appeared in the December 2017 issue of
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I’ve Seen the Light and It Ain’t Pretty
Dear Editors: My apartment faces the towering buildings across the river in Jersey City. While I can mostly see only their higher floors and not the river itself, the views of the open sky and sunsets are important to us West Siders. I was shocked, stunned, and appalled a few months ago to look out
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God at the Drafting Board
By George Capsis If God sat down at the drafting board to design a perfect solution for seniors now living alone in a five-story walk-up, with an ancient dog that has to go four times a day, what would He come up with? He would have a nice, fresh-faced youngster offer a strong arm to
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When Landlords Commit Sexual Harassment
By Joseph Turco, Esq. “If I had a hammer, I’d SMASH the Patriarchy.” This message was seen on a sign at the Women’s March on January 21, 2017. It should come as no surprise that several Village big wigs (all white, all male) have been exposed as cads and worse as a result of the
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A.G. Schneiderman Announces Unprecedented Consent Decree With NYC Landlord Steven Croman
The New York State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) published the following press release on December 20, 2017. It has been edited by WestView News. Today, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced an unprecedented settlement with Steven Croman, a major New York City landlord, for engaging in illegal conduct, including harassment, coercion,
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Against the Destruction of West Village Houses
Dear Editors: As long-term residents of the West Village Houses, we are appalled at how the Board is trying to destroy this low-rise community, which was championed by Jane Jacobs. They want to tear our buildings down and turn us into luxury housing. The community needs to rise up to stop this. —Alice Moore &
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An Historic Moment
By Cynthia Chaffee & Mary Ann Miller On Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 60 Centre Street, an historic consent decree was reached between the New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the lawyers for Steve Croman. This decree included an unprecedented monetary restitution ($8 million), which the disgraced landlord must pay to his injured
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Nothing’s Changed!
By Mary Ann Miller and Cynthia Chaffee You can ask any Croman tenant, “Has anything changed since Steve Croman went to jail?” and you’ll get a resounding, “NO.” And why should anything have? Steve Croman is still in charge and, rumor has it, he’s running the business by cell phone from his cell—giving new meaning
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New Tools To Fight Bad Landlords: Free Lawyers
By Joseph Turco, Esq. Here is some good news for tenants: The gradual rollout of the ‘Right to Counsel’ for tenants in the NYC Housing Court is progressing as expected. The promised funding, which Mayor di Blasio has declared as crucial to preserving affordable housing, is being allocated in stages. By 2022, it will reach
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Where is Steve Croman?
By Mary Ann Miller and Cynthia Chaffee When Judge Jill Konviser sentenced Steve Croman to one year in Rikers, she said, “Rikers ain’t the Ritz.” Well, we know he’s not at the Ritz, but it seems that he ain’t at Rikers either. We found him. A bit of snooping revealed that Steve Croman is actually
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An Update on Steve Croman
By Joseph Turco, Esq. In my September 2017 WestView article, “Landlord of the Flies: Steve Croman’s Social Diary is Empty,” I wrote that ‘The Madoff of Landlords,’ Steve Croman, had lost his famed lawyer Ben Brafman over a fee dispute. A few days after publication, I received a call from the Stop Croman Coalition advising
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Move Along, Nothing to See Here!
Staples officially left the premises of 390 6th Avenue in early October. It joins the ranks of Barnes & Noble, which vacated the building on the northern corner of that block in January 2013, leaving the space empty for the past several years. The Duane Reade on the southern corner closed its doors earlier this
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He Didn’t Jaywalk, But He Did Just About Everything Else!
By Mary Ann Miller & Cynthia Chaffee On June 6th of this year, when Judge Jill Konviser sentenced landlord Steve Croman to one year at Rikers Island, she added this admonishment, “If you so much as jaywalk, I’ll make sure this sentence is increased.” The Croman tenants at the sentencing hearing that morning thought,“Finally, here
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Urban Myth: West Village Landlords Save Money When They Keep Spaces Empty (Part Two)
By Steve Wilson In the September issue of Westview, I discussed the impact of escalating commercial rents and the resulting closures of restaurants and retail stores within the West Village. In Part Two, I explore the impact of online retailers on that commercial landscape. The impact of online merchants like Amazon and FreshDirect on West
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The Real Cost of Rising Rents
By Christopher of Christopher Street On March 13, 2016, Council Member Corey Johnson, New York State Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, and New York State Senator Brad Hoylman gathered in front of the Associated Supermarket near the corner of 14th Street and 8th Avenue to protest the imminent closing of the store due to rent hikes.
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VID Takes on Law-Breaking Landlords
By Erik Coler, President of the VID The first time Aaron Carr tried to explain what a state-issued J-51 tax credit was, I had no idea what he was talking about. He might as well have been speaking another language. Aaron had recently left his job as chief of staff to a New York State
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West Village Houses Today: The Garage Struggle
By Brian J. Pape, AIA Attending Community Board 2’s (CB2’s) full board meeting on July 20th gave me an earful of local news. Following up on previous West Village Houses (WVH) articles for our readers, the debate over the parking requirement for WVH at their 738 Greenwich Street Parking Garage at Perry Street was a
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Historical Commercial Rent Controls in New York City
By Brian J. Pape, AIA Contrary to common belief, there is still rent control for historic commercial buildings in New York City, as was reported at a recent Community Board 2 (CB2) meeting. Under discussion were applications for variances to allow Group 6 ground floor and cellar uses in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, both
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Department of Buildings Shrugs as Megatowers Take Over New York City
By Nan Victoria Munger If you want to get to Carnegie Hall, you could practice a whole lot. Or, you could simply raise your eyes to the City skyline and head toward the ‘Billionaire Building,’ a 1,005-foot luxury condominium across the street from the legendary concert venue. One57 is one of many megatowers springing up
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Landlord of the Flies: Steve Croman’s Social Diary Is Empty
By Joseph Turco, Esq. Let’s gather what we know about the ever-sinking fortunes of the ‘Bernie Madoff of Landlords,’ Steve Croman. 1. In May 2016, just as his despicable son Jake went viral after calling an Uber driver “a minimum wage faggot,” little Jake’s dad, Steve Croman, was indicted on 20 felonies for lying on
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Urban Myth: Landlords Save Money by Keeping Spaces Empty (Part One)
By Steve Wilson Passing by empty storefronts and restaurants, Villagers can often be heard uttering the widely accepted urban “truth”—They (landlords) make money by deducting the high rents which they no longer receive. Leading local commercial real estate broker Brian Kanarek insists that landlords don’t make money on empty storefronts: “Landlords cannot claim a deduction
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Temporary Closing of Gourmet Garage
Gourmet Garage, located at 117 7th Avenue South (between West 10th and Christopher Streets), has announced a mid-August temporary closing. The building owner needs to install columns to reinforce the building in order to add additional floors for new residential apartments. (The accompanying rendering illustrates the design proposal by Cruzen Samton Architects.) The New York
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Reflecting on NYCHA
I recently watched a show called “History of China” and it ended with images of how China is doing today. The show included a shot of several beaming Chinese people who said that they pay no rent and that food is free. That is the ultimate form of socialism that Dr. Lenora Fulani would like
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A Stroll Around the Neighborhood: Construction and Development Sites
By Brian J. Pape, AIA You know that you are in a popular neighborhood when there seems to be construction on every block. This stroll covers one small area of the West Village. Let’s start along West Street, just south of the condo at 1 Morton Square. Ian Schrager and his development partners tapped Herzog+de
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Diller Island: The Continuing Saga
By Michael Gruen Opinions vary as to whether Pier 55 (a.k.a. Diller Island) is a desirable project. Does it benefit the public, and if so, do the benefits outweigh the harms? Many of us at The City Club of New York (City Club) have strong, negative feelings about the design and location of Pier 55.
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Bring Back Commercial Rent Control?
By Brian J. Pape, AIA Bring back? Until recently, I never knew it had existed. All we hear is how high rents and taxes are devastating the mom-and-pop retail communities. Even our State Senator, Brad Hoylman, recently published a report entitled “Bleaker on Bleecker” on his website. The survey found 18.44% storefronts vacant on West
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Reflecting on Gardens and Housing
Dear Editors: In writing about and photographing the gardens at the Church of St. Luke in the Fields and Jane Street, Justin Matthews touches on two gardens where I have worked as a volunteer with great joy and love for over 40 years. (See his article “Parks and Gardens of the West Village” in the
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Amidst Bleecker Street Closures, a Survivor and a Reviver
By Nan Victoria Munger In 1979, Afghan millionaire Abdul Nusraty fled the communist government of Afghanistan, leaving behind his four cars and a 180-worker jewel factory to become a West Village storeowner. Since moving to New York and opening Nusraty Afghan Imports, Nusraty has twice been forced to relocate, not by Communists, but by landlords.
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Landlords and Tenants Agree: London’s Grenfell Tower Fire Was Preventable
By Joseph Turco, Esq. Greenwich Village/Westbeth artist Joyce Rezendes, who resided in London in the late 1960s, often compares its Kensington district to Greenwich Village. Of the Grenfell Tower fire, which occurred on June 14th, Rezendes recalls: “We protested the construction of those tall buildings back then because they were so out of place in
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Kill The Zombie Park Already Part II: The Fake Alternative
By Alec Pruchnicki It’s much easier to think of an alternative to a controversial project than to complete the years of hard work necessary to implement that alternative. Supporters of the Elizabeth Street Garden have proposed several alternative sites for housing—the biggest one being on Hudson and Houston Streets. But, there are problems with this
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Hold the Mayo! The Future of Grocery Prices in the West Village
By W. Russell Neuman I know I should, but I don’t pay a lot of attention to price tags in stores. I should also keep track of sale items and I don’t do that either. But when I picked up a jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise at a chain grocery store/supermarket in the West Village recently,
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Bread and Roses
By Keen Berger Affordable housing is a top priority. Every community needs housing that is truly affordable. Yes and yes. I agree completely with both statements. I state this at the outset to prevent critics of the Elizabeth Street Garden (including Mayor de Blasio and Councilmember Chin) from implying that they are noble, and fighting
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Kill the Zombie Park Already Part I: Build Housing
By Alec Pruchnicki It should be dead, but somehow it’s still alive. Advocates continue fighting to keep the Elizabeth Street Garden entirely open space rather than a site for housing. Since WestView News first examined this issue in its articles: “Selfishness One, Housing Zero” (May 2016) and “Parks Are Good, Housing is Better” (November 2016),
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Fighting Community Blight
Dear Editors: I’m a regular reader of WestView and someone who hasn’t really participated in local politics. Your newspaper has made me more aware of meaningful ways to get involved in the community. Thank you for that. I am forwarding you a note (with slight edits) that I sent our council members a few weeks
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Signs of the Times: “Store For Rent”
By Allyn Freeman A walking tour of the West Village offers the sight of flowers that bloom in the spring but also the distressing proliferation of empty stores displaying “For Rent” or “For Lease” signs. Not in recent memory have there been so many vacant retail establishments in the neighborhood. A first consideration is to
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Rent Prisoners
By George Capsis This was the most difficult article I have ever written for WestView. It took me five days and what I produced is mostly a paraphrasing of a New York Times article and bits of a phone interview with the President of the Fulton Housing Tenants Association, Miguel Acevedo. What made it difficult
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Diller Island Park Passes Final Court Hurdle
For a year, foes of the 2.7-acre island/park being built at West 16th Street, largely with money from entertainment mogul Barry Diller, have tried to block the project in court. For a brief period in August, the New York State Appellate Division issued a stay against the commencement of construction. That stay was lifted later
