Sue Susman and Council Member Helen Rosenthal and another Stellar tenant leader on MNN TV

Talking about affordable housing :

Paul DeRienzo  video on YouTube NYC Rent Regulation with Councilmember Helen Rosenthal by Paul DeRienzo NYC Councilmember Helen Rosenthal, attorney Sue Susman, Tenant activist Khadijah Canns discuss the future of rent regulation. www.saveaffordablehousing.org Repeal vacancy deregulation (also known as vacancy decontrol) and re-regulate apartments deregulated under vacancy deregulation if rents are below a goodly amount. Close the loopholes that make affordable apartments unaffordable (Major Capital Improvements, Individual Apartment Improvements, preferential rents, illegal fees, and more). Keep illegal hotels - including AirBnB - from depleting our stock of affordable housing.

NYS Dept. of Health has approved JHL construction on W. 97th St.

The NYS Department of Health has issued an Environmental Impact Statement that OKs the construction of a 20-story Jewish Home Lifecare facility on 97th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. See the West Side Rag and DNAinfo articles.

DNAinfo reports, " Jewish Home Lifecare now has all the approvals it needs to begin construction on the tower. . . next to P.S. 163, in early 2015.  Construction is predicted to last through 2018.  

"The state acknowledged that the project will render balconies of two large buildings overlooking the site unusable, as well as cast large shadows on the nearby playground for several hours each morning in the fall, winter and spring." 

Summary of the Nov. 14, 2014 General Tenants Meeting

In the Neighborhood

Community Board 7’s Landmark Planning Committee voted against permitting the church on Central Park West between 97^th and 96^th Streets to be converted to condos. The whole Community Board must vote next, as will the City’s Landmarks Preservation Committee.  Contact Paul Fisher in Apt. 10E if you have a comment: he’s on the Community BoardCommunity Board 7’s Landmark Planning Committee voted against permitting the church on Central Park West between 97^th and 96^th Streets to be converted to condos. The whole Community Board must vote next, as will the City’s Landmarks Preservation Committee.  Contact Paul Fisher in Apt. 10E if you have a comment: he’s on the Community Board.

In the Building

The Renovations

The lobby renovations are finished.   

Stellar has erected 3 wooden screen barriers (in slalom fashion) between the front door and the fire exit doors.  This makes movement more difficult along the front terrace and poses several problems:

Felix Fibich Memorial, Nov. 23 at 1 PM, Museum of Jewish Heritage

RSVPs required! 

Nov. 12 at 8 PM: Think June & Beyond when the rent laws come up for renewal

GENERAL TENANTS MEETING 

Nov. 12 at 8 PM in the Community Room

Given the recent elections, we have to 

Think June and Beyond: 

How we can get Albany to better protect  tenants. 

Hear Betsy Eichel, tenant organizer for Housing Conservation Coordinators and the West Side Neighborhood Alliance at 8 pm, and then hear Council Member Mark Levine at about 9 pm.  
Then chat with both during our post-meeting coffee & cake gathering.

Capital One bank is legit

Stellar Management  confirmed that it Stellar has put our security deposits in the Capital One bank.  That is the bank that has sent us typed letters asking for our Social Security Numbers.

The law requires the bank that is holding our security deposits to link them to our social security numbers.   The security deposit is equal to one month's rent, as you know from your lease renewals.  

Typically, the bank holding our security deposits is required to pay each of us the appropriate interest earned, less administrative fees.  (That has not been the case where the amount that would be sent to the tenant is under $10 since NYS law doesn't want to burden banks with such piffling amounts.)  Most tenants in this building have not received any interest payments (usually in the single-dollar amounts) since Stellar bought the building in November 2004. 

Since the bank request is genuine, please fill out the form (click here for a new one) and either mail it in to the address below OR WALK IT OVER TO CAPITAL ONE on 97th and Columbus and have them enter the data.  

Capital One

Attn: DMS Information Reporting

PO Box 85177

Richmond VaA 23286-9108.