Owner of eight-story building had been used as a hotel since the 1950’s. An eight-story building located at 225 E 17th Street in Manhattan, was operated as a transient hotel with 155 rooms. Buildings charged that the hotel use was in violation of the building’s certificate of occupancy which specified single room occupancy with 163 single rooms and one community kitchen. Buildings relied on the certificate of occupancy issued on August 16, 1968.
Court Decisions
Owner Fined $1200 for SRO Use
Owner leased space to non-profit providing services under contract with the State Department of Mental Health. The current certificate of occupancy for a three story building located at 101-36 104th St., Queens, provided for three residential units, one per floor. The owner of the building leased the third floor to Promoting Specialized Care and Health, a non-profit. The non-profit, under contract with the New York State Department of Mental Health, provides assistance to individuals with … <Read More>
Tenant Waived Right to File Challenge Against Loft Board
Loft tenant filed a petition to annul a New York City Loft Board’s amended final determination that the fourth floor consisted of two separate and distinct apartment units, claiming he was the occupant of the entire floor. SMC Associates, the owner of a loft at 329 Greenwich Street, filed plans to legalize two units on the fourth floor of the building. Longtime tenant Stephen Grant challenged the legalization plan, claiming that the space on the … <Read More>
Landmark Owner Sues Architect Over Renovation
Architect failed to submit plans to Commission for renovation of landmarked building; owner had to remove alterations. In 2008, Lorraine and Edward Gerrity, the owners of a landmarked building located at 143 Bergen St. in Brooklyn, contracted with architects Herbert Ruderman and George Restivo to renovate their home. The architects submitted plans to Buildings and to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which approved the alteration to the landmarked building. The Gerritys then made changes in … <Read More>
Buildings Exempted from Rent Law
Red Hook developer converted commercial buildings into residential apartments. Harbor Tech LLC in 1999 purchased a commercial complex located in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn that had been built in the 1920s and used continuously for commercial purposes. Harbor Tech by 2005 had converted the five interlaced buildings of the complex into 100 residential units.
Thirty-five residents of the complex in 2013 sued Harbor Tech to have the City’s Rent Stabilization Law applied … <Read More>
Trump Village Loses Utility Claim
Residents of Trump Village challenged size of rent reduction when Trump Village switched to individual electric metering. Trump Village, located at 2940 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, has 433 rent-regulated apartments. In January 2006, Trump Village applied to the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal to convert Trump Village to individual electric metering and to separate the cost of electricity from rent payments of tenants. In June 2006, the Division approved Trump Village’s application, including … <Read More>