Page 4 - CooperatorNews New York June 2022

4 COOPERATORNEWS — JUNE 2022 COOPERATORNEWS.COM PULSE Industry Pulse Law & Legislation Unions Urge NYC Council to Support Harlem’s One45 Project On May 10, 32BJ SEIU and Laborers’ Lo- cal 79 rallied at City Hall in support of the One45 Harlem development project and spotlighted the project’s workforce hous- ing proposal that will bring family-sustain- ing union jobs to Harlem. The rally came ahead of a New York City Council hearing on the One45 development planned for West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue. The development would house a diverse cross- section of residents, including union work- ers, formerly unhoused seniors, low- and moderate-income New Yorkers, and those who can afford market-rate rents. At the rally, speakers highlighted the One45 project as a model for how neigh- borhoods across the city can create high- quality workforce housing at rent levels that union members can afford, and help residents stay in neighborhoods where they have lived and worked for years. One45 will address a growing need for workforce housing in New York City. Typically, housing development projects only provide housing at market rates and at low-income levels through Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH). That means households headed by one or two union members cannot qualify for typical MIH units, yet often cannot afford market-rate rents. The latest proposal for the One45 de- velopment would create 915 apartments across two residential towers and a lower- rise 100% affordable building, along with a $7 million renovation of a nearby play- ground, and new space for community- based organizations, a healthcare facil- ity, and local minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) from Harlem. Lenox Tower would include 308 total apartments, with 205 market-rate units and 103 af- fordable units—77 of which are MIH and 26 of which are categorized as “workforce housing.” The tower known as 145 Building will include 517 total apartments, with 174 affordable units—130 MIH and 44 work- force. The 100% affordable building would include at least 90 apartments for very/ex- tremely low income New Yorkers. Developer Liberman Stiffs His Neighbors The Real Deal reports that developer Barnet Liberman has been sued for failure to pay common charges in the building he co-developed and in which he owns (or just lives in, depending who you ask—see below) the penthouse. Along with a part- ner, Liberman’s company Mountbatten converted the West Village former printing house into luxury condo Printing House in 1978—one of the first commercial-to-resi- dential conversions in New York City his- tory, according to the report. According to a 2020 lawsuit cited by the article, Liberman hasn’t paid his monthly common charges of $3,160 since January 2019. His arrears as of August 2021 to- taled $609,530, including fines for violating building rules such as leaving packages in the lobby and installing illegal gas piping to the unit. Additionally, Mountbatten still owns 11 condos at Printing House, including 30,000 square feet of space it leases to the Equinox gym there. Five of those properties are also subject to a lawsuit filed in March claiming their common charges haven’t been paid, according to TRD. When a condo owner doesn’t pay their common charges, the other owners have to make up the difference, unless and until the monies can be recovered, notes TRD . Liberman, who filed for bankruptcy in 2021, according to TRD, owes $123 million to a bevy of creditors, including his wife, children, and a pest control company in the Hamptons where he owns a townhouse. According to TRD, Liberman told The Post that he only owns his Hamptons prop- erty, having transferred ownership of the Printing House apartment to an LLC in 2013 before giving most of the entity to his five children. He also claimed he has paid $35,000 a month in rent to the LLC on the property, which he said is worth anywhere from $6 million to $20 million. Educational Opportunities Free Virtual Workshop—Managing Hoarding in Residential Buildings The Apartment House Institute (AHI) of City Tech CUNY is holding a free commu- nity workshop, “Managing Hoarding Dis- order in Residential Buildings,” on Wednes- day, May 25, 2022, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. via Zoom. This important workshop is the first in a series of AHI educational offerings for the multifamily community. According to the City Tech CUNY an- nouncement, as much as five percent of the population suffers from hoarding disorder, which is the compulsive need to collect and keep possessions. In New York City, hoard- ing becomes a community problem as most neighbors share walls, common spaces, and residential governance. Hoarding has the potential to cause serious problems such as fire, odors, vermin, roaches, bedbugs, mice, and other pests. In a multifamily setting, the problems can extend to the entire build- ing and quickly compromise the health and safety of residents and staff. In spite of the seriousness and perva- siveness of the problem, solutions can be difficult and drawn out. Peter Grech, a New York City resident manager for the last 40 years, has put together this work- shop to help other building managers and multifamily board members address this complex issue and find sustainable resolu- tions. Among the topics to be discussed are co-op and condo regulations, Fair Housing Act protections, the role of New York Adult Protective Services, and strategies for locat- ing and working with a hoarding disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) specialist. “Hoarding as we know it is no longer a personal issue,” says Grech. “It is an issue that will ultimately affect people who live in the building by creating a fire hazard, a health hazard, or both. Building manag- ers may first become aware of a hoarder when the super attempts to make a repair and is either denied access or finds that the apartment kitchen or bathroom is blocked by ceiling-high stacks of paper or trash. Cooperative and condominium boards may receive complaints from neighbors of hoarding tenants. Friends and family may be aware of the problem but unsure about how to help their loved ones. We are offer- ing this free community forum to give prac- tical guidance on some challenging issues.” It’s All About Connection Whether you’re a manager or a board member, running a condo, HOA, or co-op has never been an easy job. There’s always a capital project to fund, a contractor to hire, a dispute to resolve, a leak to repair...the list can feel endless. Add to all that two years of pandemic stressors—remote meetings, social distancing, shifting health guidelines, concerns about staff safety, and millions of residents suddenly working and learning from home, just to name a few...it’s been quite a ride. That’s why CooperatorEvents is so excit- ed to be back—in person!—at the Meadow- lands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for this spring’s New Jersey Expo, and we think you will be too. Of the many hard lessons the pandemic has taught us, the importance and value of real human connection is among the biggest—and the Expo has always been about connection. There’s just no other event that puts you right in front of the vendors and service providers your building or HOA needs every day, all in one place—and for FREE! You can put faces to names you’ve known for years, network with peers and col- leagues, shop for services, learn about the latest multifamily innovations, and attend free seminars led by industry pros at the top of their game—maybe even jump-start that project that got put on hold two springs ago. Whatever brings you to the show, time at the Expo is always time well spent. Whether this will be your first Expo or your 15th, visit nj-expo.com to register (did we mention the show is FREE to at- tend?), find out who’s exhibiting, view the floorplan, and plan your day at the show. You can also see the seminar schedule and get detailed descriptions of what each panel will be discussing, to further optimize your time. No matter what you’re looking for on behalf of your building or association, you’ll find it at the New Jersey Expo. We’re happy to be back, and look forward to seeing you! Appointments & Transitions Real Estate Litigator Scott J. Pashman Joins Cozen O’Connor On May 2, Manhattan-based law firm Cozen O’Connor announced veteran real estate litigator and dispute resolution prac- titioner Scott J. Pashman has joined its New York Real Estate practice. Pashman, who focuses on condominium, cooperative, and homeowners’ association disputes, joins the firm as a member and will take up residence in the firm’s Manhattan office located at 3 World Trade Center. “With so many condos recently com- pleted or under construction and under-uti- lized office buildings being repurposed for residential use, the demand for the type of legal representation Scott brings to the table will only continue to accelerate,” said James Williams, co-chair of the firm’s Real Estate practice. “Scott brings us a 20-plus-year track record of successfully resolving real estate disputes in New York City, including more than a decade resolving condo, co-op, and homeowner association disputes—often before they go to trial, which greatly benefits his clients.” Pashman’s background includes manag- ing a wide range of real estate disputes and clients, including insurance providers chal- lenging lead contamination claims; land- lords embroiled in rent stabilization disputes; investors, property owners, and mortgagees involved in boundary and easement, adverse possession, construction defect, and mort- gage fraud litigation; architects in contractu- al disputes arising from MTA construction projects; and landlords/tenants challenging the New York State Attorney General and New York City Mayor’s Office regarding short-term Airbnb rentals. n Please submit Pulse items to Darcey Gerstein at darcey@cooperatornews.com