1059 Union St- Ground Zero for Landlord/Tenant battles?

I don't necessarily want to be the richest person in a poor neighborhood.; people tend to be very jealous of them, and rob them.

But I have concluded that I do not want to be the poorest in my neighborhood; I don't believe those who say that living on the dole is fun.

While I was not poor, I was once the poorest in very rich neighborhood. Between 2000 and 2003, I lived in the one of the only apartment buildings in affluent Irvington NY.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvington,_New_York

In general, I knew the pros and cons of living there, and could pass in most settings.

...but I do remember the looks I would receive when getting out of my 10 year old Toyota Corolla.

And, I do remember the people on Metro North.

When I sat by them they would make what they thought was innocuous small talk, like "Where did you Summer?"

If I had answered honestly I would have said: "Um, right here. At my job making $34k a year."

...but I usually made something up about "summering" with friends in a non descript location.

My personal economy has greatly improved since the early 2000s. I'll likely get to local beaches as well as North Carolina this summer.

It seems as if this year's excitement over rent stabilization has two chapters, the first chapter ends on June 15th when state politicians decide how to modify and renew the regulations.

Then, the saga moves to Rent Guidelines Board.

I saw people dressed in white when I came through the Propsect Park train station last night, and I knew right away that the Dinner en Blanc crew had to have been in Prospect Park.

I wonder 1) why TPTB allowed rent regulations to get down to the wire and 2) whether that's a bad sign.

Take the vacant storefronts back from the landlords??? And do what with them !!??

@pragmaticguy -
It seems the present effort surrounds not allowing an aspiring bar to get a liquor lic:
http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/45213/franklin-and-union-not-a-new-coffee-shop-maybe-a-bar#Item_54

One should note that their efforts to "have the landlord upgrade rent stabilized apartments" and "have their fellow tenants turn down buyouts" seem to have been unsuccessful.

If I am ever in the situation where I am offered a buyout and am told that I am abandoning my class/race/hue by accepting it, OR if I merely choose to move and am accused of same, I hope I have the courage to say "If we all move together, we can create the same demographics in (insert destination) that we have here!"

"Broadway Junction used to be cool before they opened a J. Crew."

I'm surprised an Olive Garden hasn't made it downtown yet.

@pragmaticguy -

This guy just wrote a report on how the tenants' movement has lost power over the last years: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/08/13/tenant-advocates-lost-political-muscle-over-last-18-years-report/

While the limit is an important number, I would like to see a well written article that discussed how many units remain under rent stabilization, broken out by unit size and cost.

I find it pretty funny when the advocates believe they have achieved something when they keep a $2400, 1BR apartment rent stabilized.

Or, when they fail to understand that Preferential Rents are not a right; The only things preventing landlords from charging the Max Legal Rent is the market and an existing lease.

I am not certain that this unit is in 1059 Union, but it certainly could be.   ( 4 x $900 = $3600).

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/roo/5350274981.html

quote:

"One room available in 4bd/1.5ba Crown Heights apartment located at Franklin Ave and Union St. Rent for room is $900. Utilities are ~$70 per month and include gas, electric, cable (HBO, Showtime), wifi and a cleaning lady. Super close (~1-2 min walk) to Franklin Ave subway (2, 3, 4, 5, S). Security deposit is $900 and would be returned upon move-out given no damage has been done. Pictured room is smaller, closet-less version of the available room.

About the roommates:

One woman works in publishing. She's quiet and not around often (she has family in the city), but is always friendly.

A married couple with the greatest sense of humor share another room. They have a cabin upstate and travel a lot so they're also rarely around.

One woman works at an ad agency. She's friendly, funny and has a very cute kitty.

 Overall, the apartment is fairly quiet due to everyone's schedules. The cleaning lady does a deep clean once a month and then we all keep the place tidy (dishes, bathroom sinks, etc) during the interim. I really love our location. It's so convenient for catching the subway (we have both eastside and westside lines, plus the shuttle to the A/C), close to the park and centrally located for other bk hoods (great for biking) and close to all of the great places on Franklin Ave (there is Butter & Scotch on the corner and another bar going in across the street) and Washington Ave in Prospect Heights.

Move-in would be January 1st though this is somewhat flexible as the room is currently vacant. Let us know a little about yourself and what you're looking for - thanks!"

Yes, upon a closer read, it sounds as if might be on Union, west of Franklin near the shuttle tracks. 

All these people with what sound like decent jobs and incomes and they can't afford their own place. Now maybe they want to live that way but maybe it's just sad.

The couple travels a lot and has a cabin upstate and one gal works at an ad agency. Sounds stable to me. Rather live alone in a small apartment than share a unit with others.

Returning to 1059 Union, it has changed hands.   The prior owner may have made over $4m in the short period they had it, and the advocates now have a new opponent.

"1.) Sterling Equites is the new owner of a rental building at 1059 Union Street in Crown Heights, where tenants rallied against the previous landlord, BCB Management. Sterling paid $17.9 million for the five-story building, which holds 32 apartments and five commercial units. Debrah Lee Charatan and Bennat Charatan Berger’s BCB Property Management sold the building last year to entity listed as 829-835 Franklin Avenue Residences LLC for $13.2 million, not long after tenants alleged BCB was illegally converting apartments and attempting to evict residents."

http://therealdeal.com/2016/04/04/heres-what-the-10m-20m-nyc-investment-sales-market-looked-like-last-week-63/