Page 7 - CooperatorNews NY July 2022

COOPERATORNEWS.COM COOPERATORNEWS — JULY 2022 7 Developer Sued for Stiffing Neighbors Embattled Mountbatten Exec Owes Condo $600k+ in Fees & Fines BY DARCEY GERSTEIN 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 partner, Liberman’s com- pany Mountbatten converted a former West Village printing house at 421 Hudson Street into luxury Printing House condo in 1978—one of the first commercial-to-residential con- versions in New York City history, according to the report. According to a 2020 lawsuit cited by the article, Liberman hasn’t paid his monthly com- mon charges of $3,160 since January 2019. His arrears as of August 2021 totaled $609,530, including fines for violating building rules such as leaving packages in the lobby and in- stalling 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, ac- cording 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, reportedly 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 the article, Liberman told The Post that he only owns his Hamptons property, 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. n Unions Urge NYC Council to Support Harlem’s One45 Project Groups Rally Ahead of Hearing on Planned Development BY COOPERATOR STAFF On May 10, 32BJ SEIU and Laborers’ Local 79 rallied at City Hall in support of the One45 Harlem development project and spotlighted the project’s workforce housing proposal that will bring family-sustaining 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 workers, 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 neighborhoods 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 development would create 915 apartments across two residential towers and a lower-rise 100% affordable building, along with a $7 million renovation of a nearby playground, 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 affordable 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 workforce. The 100% affordable building would include at least 90 apartments for very/ extremely low income New Yorkers. “We came out in force today to demand well-paying union jobs for Harlem families,” said 32BJ SEIU President Kyle Bragg. “At a moment when unemployment remains stubbornly high throughout our city, we should look to models like One45 that will allow us to rebuild New York’s economy and deliver a ticket to the middle class. We call on our city’s leaders to support this common sense project, which will allow Harlemites to stay in their neighborhood and pr- continued on page 14 THE SCHOOL OF REFRESHING APARTMENT BUILDING PUBLIC SPACES The public spaces of apartment buildings needs to be part of the board’s planning cycle; typically theyshould be freshened every 10 years. There are specific interior components to be addressed; these can be tabulated to ensure sound planning. Interior designer Jonathan Baron will break down the interior components and suggest processes for board and design committees to use to analyze their own building interiors. Baron will provide blank Building Analysis Report forms and will have samples of typical wall covering, carpet, lighting etc. Limited Seating Available. 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