Monday, December 9, 2024
Rain. High 49 degrees.
Rain is expected for the majority of Monday, and again on Wednesday.
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Upper West Side News
By Gus Saltonstall
There is a standoff going on between an Upper West Side tenant and a real estate development company, as first reported by The New York Times.
Eric Abrams, 64, does not want to move out of his apartment at 2651 Broadway, on the corner of West 101st Street, where he has lived for 21 years. In 2021, Klosed Properties bought the building for $15.5 million, which was primarily an unauthorized hotel that faced legal action from the city.
Abrams was one of five single-room-occupancy tenants living in the building at the time — the other four tenants have moved out — he has not.
With Abrams refusal to leave the Upper West Side building, the real estate company has decided to begin the property’s renovation around him.
Both parties have filed lawsuits against each other.
“This is the worst situation I’ve ever seen,” Robin LoGuidice, Abrams’s lawyer, told the New York Times. “And I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
Abram’s lawyer told the Times that Klosed Properties has shut down the elevator in the building and removed fire safety systems, despite the fact that Abrams “faces significant physical, mental, and emotional challenges which impair his cognitive abilities and decision-making processes.”
A lawyer representing Klosed Properties told the Times — “We just want to get the work done.”
In court papers, Klosed Properties says it has offered Abrams a hotel room with a meal stipend, a makeshift one-bedroom on the ground floor of the building, one-bedroom apartments in nearby buildings owned by Klosed where he could live for free during the construction or eventually return to his original and upgraded apartment, according to the Times.
Klosed Properties also offered him a $500,000 buyout, but Abrams’s first lawyer sought $2.5 million, the Times added.
“I don’t want to be forced into decisions under duress,” Abrams told the Times. “I would live my final days here boxing up and processing 21 years of stuff, not including roach eggs, and I want to do that with dignity.”
You can read the full story, which includes additional details, HERE.
The fireworks that go off annually in Central Park on New Year’s Eve won’t take place this year due to the recent drought, the city announced last week.
The fireworks that go off over Prospect Park have also been canceled this year.
Due to the historic drought that took place from September through November, the city decided against all firework permits for New Year’s due to the potential for a brush fire in the drier than normal conditions.
“Though hosting firework shows has long been a tradition in New York City’s parks, the unprecedented number of brush fires we’ve seen devastate our green spaces over the past few weeks require us to make smart decisions to help keep our city safe,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said in a news release.
A man accused of shooting his former boss in November on the Upper West Side was indicted last week and charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, and assault, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
“This alleged conduct not only endangered the life of the victim, but also brazenly disregarded the safety of Manhattanites both in the community and surrounding area – causing rippling effects for many New Yorkers as Mr. Diaz fled into the subway system with a firearm,” Bragg said in a news release.
On November 7, Eduardo Diaz, 42, went to his old work place at Lincoln Business Machines near West 68th Street and Columbus Avenue, where he approached his old boss and attempted to shoot him, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Prior to the attack, Diaz had sent threatening messages to his boss for several months, court documents showed.
Diaz’s gun jammed, though, and the confrontation rolled out onto the street, where he fired multiple more shots at his boss at close range, hitting him in the ankle, hip, and shoulder, the DA’s Office said. He continued to shoot at his old boss after he fell to the ground, before fleeing into the 72nd Street subway station, near Central Park West, where he escaped through the tunnels, the DA added.
The victim survived the shooting, police said.
Diaz was arrested the next day at his home in Queens, police said.
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Wondering about the City’s messaging (actually lack) about the drought and water use precautions?
Our building management sent one informational eblast in early November – nothing since then.
There have been no advisories where I work.
According to the national weather service, we had .18 inches of rain yesterday. Somehow it felt like more than that. You can follow their daily updates from Central Park here:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=NYC&product=CLI&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1&highlight=off
I’ve only seen ads in the cab videos. Also, the recent and upcoming rain would have quelled the alarm of a drought
No, the recent rain is not sufficient to quell the alarm of a drought. Unfortunately.
They should standardize these buyouts so that tenants are guaranteed a generous payment but one person can’t hold up an entire development forever. Something like six months of rent for every year you’ve lived there, where rent is the higher of the average new rent in the neighborhood for that size apartment or the actual rent you were paying.
The only standardization that should take place is to allow the immediate forceful eviction of anyone using someone else’s property beyond the contractual term of any lease agreement or any associated grace period.
Why would anyone (least of all taxpayers in this case) be paying this guy 10 years worth of rent for the privilege of leaving a property he has no ownership status in?!
What have we devolved in?
Agreed. This is why Democrats lose elections. Our intentions are pure and we want to help people, but some amongst us take these good intentions to extremes and stop using common sense.
Some basic form of rent protection, etc. is fine in very specific circumstances. The current system has gone way overboard and is abused far too often.
This man clearly needs help. Once again, letting him rot away like this is not helping him or protecting his rights. Give him a chunk of money and find a supportive living place for him to live.
It is ironic that I’m guessing many of the people who likely are defending him are the same ones who complain that there is not enough affordable housing. Well, he is standing in the way of the construction of a lot of housing. It might not be affordable, but it is housing where people can live, and those people will also spend money and support local businesses.
There is a big article in the NYT about how many Chinese Americans voted Republican last month because they perceive progressive Democrats as lenient toward crime and “homelessness” [I am not going to try to unpack all the nuances in that last term]. “Oh, that poor person doing antisocial things. Let’s let them continue their antisocial behaviors AND make everyone else pay that person’s expenses!”
According to the NY Times article Mr Abrams has been living in this apartment for 21 years while the city pays his rent. He also says he had addiction problems and has a current hoarding problem (his small apartment is apparently filled with garbage).
When he moved into this building 21 years ago he was a young man. I guess after 21 years he still can’t get his act together.
We now have a developer and taxpayers wasting time and resources figuring out what to do with him.
NYC progressive politics at its best.
Yes please wont somebody help the real estate developers wasting time and money because a disabled human doesn’t want to move. How could they have possibly known before they spent 15 million ? Thoughts and prayers.
There ain’t no dignity living in that building Eric. You’ve had a rough past according to the Times story, this could be a good opportunity for you. I don’t always side with the developer but that’s a bad building.
One person should not hold up an entire development. He is holding up housing for many other people. He has been offered very handsome package.
“One person should not hold up an entire development.”
Unless of course you’re Howard Roark: then it’s heroic.
Completely off topic but I don’t know who/where else to ask. Old John’s Diner on 67th still has dining sheds in the road and they are still serving people in them. It’s hard to believe they are being fined $1000 a day. Does anyone know the story? They must have decided they will take in more.money than the penalties.
To be clear, I don’t hate Old John’s but I also don’t love them more than every other restaurant in the city that complied with the law and removed dining sheds.
You can report to 311:
https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-03321
According to the complaint I filed, the DOT inspects the dining shed and the restaurant is issued a 30 day CAR (I don’t know what CAR stands for). At the end of 30 days it will be inspected again and then if it is still in violation will be issued summonses until it is removed.
So it seems, for a $ point of view, the right thing to do was ignore the law and get an extra 29 days of free roadbed dining shed use.
He is a foolish man. Worrying about his dignity. Living in that filthy mess is not dignified. They offered him a one bedroom for free and he said no.
Obviously the man is mentally challenged. He needs some kind of help on making a decision. There should be some kind of help for someone mentally challenged if there is no family member to help him.
Maybe he will read this article and make a better decision. If there is a fire in the building during construction, which often happens, he will lose all his junk and even his life and wind up with nothing. Apparently he’s a junk hoarder and that isn’t dignity either. The real estate laws in this City need a major overhaul.
Regarding Eric Abrams, this sort of thing happens in NY because nearly all politicians are attorneys and thus often speak out of both sides of their mouths.
https://archive.ph/wanbK
Thus what should be a straight forward process becomes bogged down in legal actions with really one aim by tenant and or legal counsel, to extract huge sums from LL just to have some finality about issue and get on with whatever work is planned.
LL has been more then generous with Eric Abrams who seems to be holding things up simply because he can. His first court appointed (and paid for by city) attorney threw up his hands and quit the case. Second is caught between a rock and hard place. Mr. Abrams clearly has numerous mental and physical health issues on the one hand, but LL has been generous and bent over backwards to accommodate. At some point court may simply agree with LL and worse place Mr. Abrams under court supervised guardianship. If latter happens Mr. Abrams will lose much say in how his affairs are managed.
Ever since final four holdouts of Mayflower hotel on CPW received huge payouts ($17 million for one, the other Arthur MacArthur IV took bit less), everyone and their mother sees $$$$ signs when word of buyout begins spreading.
https://nypost.com/2014/03/02/hotel-hermit-got-17m-to-make-way-for-15-central-park-west/
This is not Eric Adam’s first time at rodeo doing legal battles with owners of 230 West 101st Street.
Previously Mr. Adams along with city failed to pay rent for several years (2003 through 2013) resulting in a final judgement of about $59,280.00 to Helms Realty (previous owners of building), plus interest and costs.
NYC and Mr. Adams appealed and lost thus we can assume city or someone paid off final judgement.
https://casetext.com/case/helms-realty-corp-v-the-city-of-new-york