Monday, September 16, 2024
Cloudy. High 77 degrees.
It looks like rain might return this week, with possible precipitation in the forecast for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
The popular 104th Street Yard Sale will take place Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 104th Street between West End and Riverside. Learn more — HERE.
Upper West Side News
By Gus Saltonstall
Five generations of one Upper West Side family have lived in a neighborhood home for 86 years.
Last week, the New York Times published, “The New York Apartment That Has Sheltered One Family for 86 Years,” about a rent-controlled UWS apartment that Jonathan Slon’s grandmother rented in 1938.
The family has not left since.
For nearly nine decades, members of the Slon family have grown old and been born in the huge, Hudson River-facing home, taking care of each other, with multiple generations sharing the space at the same time throughout the years.
Family members born in three different centuries have now lived in the apartment.
It is one of just 24,020 rent-controlled apartments left in New York City, according to the Rent Guidelines Board. The Slon’s have also shared their four-bedroom, three bathroom home with many people outside of their families.
“For 10 years, Mr. Slon’s grandmother volunteered with ‘English in Action,’ a Columbia University program that paired her with international students she could put up rent-free in a spare bedroom,” wrote the Times. “She sometimes put her language skills to use — she spoke French — and helped the newcomers navigate their lives in the United States. ‘Why pay money for a dorm?’ Mr. Slon said, recalling his grandmother’s reasoning. ‘I have all these bedrooms, come stay with me.’”
You can read the full story — HERE.
When a new best bagels of New York City list gets published, we make sure to check if any Upper West Side spots made it, and a recent ranking from TimeOut featured multiple local eateries.
Last week, the popular New York City-guide website published its version of “The 18 Best Bagels in NYC.”
The Upper West Side spots to earn a place on the ranking?
Absolute Bagels on Broadway between West 107th and 108th streets as the fourth best bagel in the city, Zabar’s on Broadway between West 80th and 81st streets as the sixth best, and H&H Bagels, which again has an Upper West Side location on Columbus Avenue between West 85th and 86th streets, as the 12th best, according to TimeOut.
Zucker’s was also included on the list, but its Tribeca location was specified, not its Upper West Side outpost.
Here’s what TimeOut had to say about Zabar’s.
“This Upper West Side institution began as a smoked fish shop founded by Louis Zabar, a Ukrainian immigrant, in 1934,” TimeOut wrote. “Still a family business in its third generation, its present 20,000 square-feet host a feast of savory and sweet treats, including its signature malt barley flour bagels.”
You can check out the full ranking — HERE.
Following the Thursday lockdown at Louis D. Brandeis High School, 145 West 84th Street, after a false call about a gun inside of the building, CBS News reported that there is an investigation into a communication breakdown within the school during the incident.
Here’s what CBS wrote about Schools Chancellor David Banks’ remarks during a Friday press conference about the Upper West Side lockdown.
“Banks and DOE officials say that while the principal did the right thing ordering an immediate lockdown, parents weren’t notified immediately, as is protocol.
‘We have a system where every principal is supposed to communicate with their parents…I don’t know [if] that is the way it was handled on the Brandeis campus,’ Banks said during a press conference.”
You can read the full story — HERE.
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I contacted Davidovich Bagels last year. They told me they sell bagels to Zabar’s and Barney Greengrass. Excellent bagels. I don’t know whether Zabar’s is still getting their bagels from Davidovich.
We are fans of Pick a Bagel on West End Ave
What is the cross street?
That one is on West End between 61 and 62nd.
I think there are a few other locations
How about the owner of the rent controlled apartment? They must be taking a bath on this.
I believe the program has its place but this seems to be really extreme. We live in a capitalist society. The same people who support this are complaining about not enough money for schools, parks, police, etc. You can’t have it both ways.
Unless the landlord bought the building before WWII, the landlord knew what the rent roll was when they bought it. If the price didn’t reflect the rent roll, they’re an incompetent capitalist who hardly deserves special consideration.
It is the multi-generational discounts that really trouble me. I don’t think that is what the landlords signed up for and it is beyond the scope of this. The ranks of these are thinning but they still do exist. Succession rights should be extremely limited, and when they occur, there should be some kind of material rent bump, even if it remains far below market.
Could not agree more. Distribution of rent controlled apartments is not fair. It’s not needs based. It’s like winning the lottery. The next generation should not be able to inherit it.
“I don’t think that is what the landlords signed up for”
Then maybe they should have paid for better lawyers? The law isn’t a secret. If they gambled that occupancy would lapse over time and lost, that’s part of that risk we’re always being told landlords should be paid handsomely for.
Agree, we should have some sort of subsidized housing program, but it should be paid for via taxes. This somewhat arbitrarily forces one owner or co-op to cover the cost (and other tenants will indirectly pay for it). Allowing grandchildren (no matter their income) to take over the lease is a whole other level of ridiculous.
Actually income does come into play. There are strict income limits on all occupants paying rent in the unit and most landlords require verification that income is below the limits every year. You have to be over the limit 2 years in a row in order for luxury decontrol to kick in.
You may be referring to Rent Stabilization which does have some income limits, Rent Controlled units can be passed to children/grandchildren with no limit on income.
I don’t believe thiis is accurate any longer. High-rent and high-income deregulation is no longer permitted (as of 2019). Rent increases for stabilized apartments are regulated and tenants in such apartments have a right to renew their leases. A landlord cannot simply deregulate an apartment any longer (there are exceptions for buildings that took advantage of tax abatement programs).
Rent controlled apartments can only be deregulated when the apartment is vacated.
@Leon: I do get your point. I’m not sure we have enough data here to confirm your assertion that folks who support long-time occupancy of rent controlled apartments complain about funding for other social services at a greater rate than the population at large, though. My thinking: the current owner of the building purchased it with full knowledge of the rent controlled units it contained and the laws that pertain to such units. Presumably, they took this into account when they decided what a fair purchase price would be.
The story of this rent-controlled apartment underscores the dysfunctionality of NYC’s housing market.
Yes, I know this is a “rent-controlled” rather than a “rent-stabilized” apartment but virtually all government controls of prices inevitably lead to shortages and distortions.
Maybe it’s just me but I believe it’s unfair for a family to spend decades living in a ginormous apartment for a pittance in rent.
The other tenants in that building are paying for their luck. It seems they are well-employed, so the heredity rules for a rental are ridiculous and something I have never seen in any other city. This is one reason why we have unaffordable housing.
Look us all in the eyes and say with a straight face that you believe Columbia would charge less than it can get for the market-rate apartments in the building if that unit weren’t rent-controlled. Come on.
The Times article suggests that the rent on this apartment is $3,066 for a classic 8 on Riverside Drive.
I’m sorry, but there is no universe in which rent control is defensible let alone celebrated. In addition to the hidden subsidies Leon rightly notes, it is just patently unfair for 24,020 renters to benefit from this kind of windfall. This is an abject policy failure.
cry me a river. Good on this family for keeping it *in the family
The story of the Slon family is a story of a failed government policy.
They seem happy with it. They’re good UWSers. I’m fine with it.
Then buy their apartment at fair market value assuming vacant possession, and rent it to them at the rent they are paying now. It is easy to be charitable at someone else’s expense!
Tal Bagels on Broadway raised their price to $2.25 for one bagel. That’s a lot.
Looking at the NYT article on-line, there is a small listing (easy to miss) of the monthly rent – $3,066.
“$3,066| Upper West Side
Jonathan Slon, 70”
While $3,000 is very little for NYC, it seems to me that it would be a huge amount if the tenant was an elderly person, on a fixed income – for example, the original tenant.
My great aunt, who passed in 2018 when she was 93, lived in her rent-controlled apartment for 65 years. She and my great-uncle had moved there when they were just married. They were not rich.
It was a 2-bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment.
At the time, she passed away, the rent was $2,000.
Impossible for her to pay $2,000 – but also not possible to move to a cheaper apartment.
If your great aunt was living in a rent-controlled apartment for 65 years then she likely had a lot of money saved as her housing expenses were extremely low for many decades.
She likely could have afforded $2K a month rent.
Look what a better world it is we have when people aren’t constantly getting squeezed by the landlord.
In that case, perhaps you should let some people live in your home for free, or perhaps for a few hundred bucks per month in rent. Here’s to a better world!
The maintenance or taxes+condo fees on this apartment are almost certainly meaningfully higher than their rent.
According to the article, Columbia owns the building. They don’t charge maintenance to themselves (are people passionately defending landlordism here imagining some little old lady on a fixed income as owner of the property?), they have to pay interest on any outstanding mortgage and of course the upkeep of the building. If they have a mortgage, and if they borrowed more to buy the building than the building’s cash flow can support…again, then they screwed up as capitalists. Why do they deserve special treatment?
I think you don’t understand that “maintenance” is the apartment’s share of the building’s operating expenses and real estate taxes.
These will, almost certainly, exceed their monthly rent. This is true even if the building doesn’t have an underlying mortgage.
Can you explain why it is fair that a small number of private actors should subsidize a small number of windfall winners?
I’m not sure I get the “subsidize” part. I’ve got to think that the people who purchase real estate for Columbia University are pretty savvy. The certainly took the presence of rent controlled units (and the reduced income from them) in the building into account when they purchased the building. Since they paid less than they would have if the building had all market-rate apartments, it feels like a wash for the landlord to me.
Does Zabar’s actually make their own bagels in house. Or do they just bake the dough there? You can buy them hot.
Every single person that writes against rent control apt article would be happy to have that situation to be theirs. Show me one NYorker that rents that would say no to that and I’ll say they are lying!
You are 100 % right my friend
Agree! I’m only salty about this because I wish it were me lol
Of course. Their argument, which you missed, is that this family is being heavily subsidized by every other tenant. One very happy family for sure; but all the other renters are paying a few hundred dollars more in rent per month to subsidize the one family.
Duh, I’d for sure be thrilled if NYC handed me a million dollars. Doesn’t mean its a good policy for the city as a whole.
You think?
You are all missing a key point here: Columbia University owns this building. Columbia is a non-profit. It pays zero income tax. They have billions and billions and billions in assets, real estate, hedge fund accounts, you name it. they pay no taxes at all. We’re all paying for Columbia’s free ride. Leave this nice, very lucky NYC family alone. You’re all just jealous!
That’s not Alvaro’s point.
Of course we all want a free ride if we can get it – but noone wants to pay the aggregate societal costs for everyone getting a free ride.
How has this family had a rent-controlled apartment for almost 90 years? This shows the abuse of the system.
“Absolute actually has seats inside, or you can take it a few blocks away to a park bench. ” – did Absolute bring back its seating? They hadn’t when I was there earlier in the summer.
Absolute hasn’t had seating since before the pandemic. I think this is recycled content.
Orwashers is listed as #9 on the Timeout best bagel list — although they link to the UES location.
Having seen apartments that are owned by people who live out of state and use them as a pied-à-terre for maybe six weeks a year, not even lending them to guests and friends, a constantly occupied property being rented at such a low rate isn’t something I find terribly upsetting.
Having seen empty brownstones held onto by people who couldn’t be bothered to move across state lines from New Jersey and couldn’t bear the thought of giving them up, I’m fine with a family passing down a luxurious apartment through the generations because it’s putting the NYC real estate to genuine use.
Rent control is socialism pure and simple, sure everyone was to get something for nothing, or close to nothing, however who wants to give some for next to nothing?
The Brandeis campus has 4-5 schools in it, all which would be vulnerable if a gunman were in the building. So each of the principals should be contacting parents, not just the Brandeis principal. Did that occur? This alleged DOE policy has never been followed, in my exerience. My child’s schools were frequently locked down due to persons with weapons in or nearby the school, and parents’ only news sources were student texts or social media. DOE policy seems frankly absurd. In a lockdown or other emergency situatuon, the principal is occupied handling the crisis, not sitting at a desk and composing emails. DOE itself shoukd be issuing communications, rather than throwing school staff under the bus. Surely DOE has crisis and communications teams among their bloated bureaucratic staff.
With regard to the family that has lived in their home for 80+ years-
you do realize that the apartment has been paid in full many times over. They have paid their rent faithfully for 82 years & as the pictures reflect, the owner has done very little to maintain it. No upgrades dilapidated electric, same floors unfinished or replaced, janky cabinets, ancient fixtures, walls that have been painted so many times it’s like rings on a tree. No modern appliances and outlets that are not designed for modern use-ie 2 prong only. They pay for every building upgrade while their apartment is a museum of antiquity.
That said-there are landlords that are happy to have a stable tenant who has paid for the value of their apartment for 80+ years – good times & bad. The rent of an apartment is often not reflective of its costs to the owner but rather what the market will bear. As more and more cookie cutter units are built, upping the rental market by offering more amenities/less space, it helps the LL’s of these established prewar buildings escalate the rents to astonishing $$ & they profit handsomely.
I think the story of the Slon family is a beautiful story of what inexpensive housing can do for New Yorkers. Their family stayed together for generations, offering one another support and end-of-life (and beginning of life!) care, with members of the family all living together in the apartment for different stints.
Their grandmother offered housing to foreign Columbia students for free, and used her French knowledge to help them assimilate or learn a new language. Dozens of students had free housing because of her.
It’s a beautiful thing, what happens when families have secure housing: the whole family comes together to support one another, and the excess is given back to the community. Love it.
A family “sticking it” to Columbia University is quite refreshing. Columbia pays zero Real Estate Taxes, so we taxpayers are already subsidizing them. At the very least Columbia should make all their apartments that are not for students rent stabilized or subsidized. Perhaps some of the 182 million dollar grant we taxpayers are giving Columbia will go to good use.