Stuyvesant Town's Lux Living - Luxury Rentals and College Dorm Rooms

Brown Water Affects Another Stuy Town Building

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:51:50 -0500

Who says contaminated water is reserved for Stuyvesant Town residents living on Avenue C...or East 20th Street...or East 14th Street? A market rate tenant at 1 Stuyvesant Oval woke up this morning to find contaminated water is plentiful in the building. We're starting to think that Croton is DEP speak for Gowanus Canal.

Lux Living: Inbox Rant

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:42:37 -0500

"Toga!!! Toga!!!

I am submitting this after another sleepless night. My upstairs neighbors are living vampire hours, their day begins around 12:30 am with hammering nails in the wall to decorate, blasting corny music which they sing along to, dancing around the apartment in hard heels and laughing hysterically at their own jokes.

I have 2 children, ages 4 months and 2 1/2, who are awakened every night by this. I've called security, and the rookie officer told me that "well, they have a right to have fun you know."

I wouldn't recommend Stuy Town/PCV to raise a pack of dogs in, let alone a family."

E-Mail and photo submitted by a Stuy Town Resident

Tish Spy Hires Pat Field to Design Edgy Uniforms

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:05:22 -0500

In an effort to blow though what's left of their dwindling cash reserve, Tishman Speyer recently hired downtown designer Patricia Field to design new uniforms for their Stuyvesant Town employees. Tishman Speyer hopes the edgy outfits will appeal to the younger, fashion-forward crowd they are trying to attract to the faux lux complex.

Residents noticed the peculiar uniforms on Monday when they spotted workers blasting piles of water logged leaves across the Oval. "I was frightened at first, I thought 'What's that flaccid bee doing to those leaves,'" a resident tells us. "I thought it was building a hive but then I realized it was just some pervert in a jumper."

The idea for the new uniforms came from a chance meeting between Rob Speyer and Patricia Field. "I was taking the trash out one night and found this man sobbing in my dumpster," Field says. "He was carrying on about a new wife, male friends that won't speak to him anymore and a bankrupt apartment complex he owns ...just rambling. I asked him if there was anything I could do to help. I didn't mean it of course, I just wanted him out of my dumpster."

The two decided to collaborate on a new risqué line of employee uniforms. "Rob said they had to be both water proof and sporty. He insisted the seams be taped and sealed and rigorously tested a few samples for three days with some friends. He really liked them. I think they're fierce."

When asked for comment on the fetish wear, Tishman Speyer spokesman, Bud Perrone, says "...lots of people like water sports and skiing, just read Craig's List."

Photo submitted by a Sty Spy

Stuy Town Continues to get Water from Gowanus Canal

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:14:13 -0500

Luxury pours through 321 Avenue C.

DEP Issues Statement on Discolored Water

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:01:41 -0500

"Statement on Discolored Water

Over the past month, parts of Manhattan and the Bronx have experienced instances of discolored water. This is related to the reactivation of the Croton water supply system. New York City is fortunate to have three surface water supply systems and the Department of Environmental Protection can switch among them to accommodate operational needs, including construction projects. Currently, DEP is supplying water from the Croton system for operational purposes, as work is being done to prepare for repairs on the Delaware Aqueduct.

It is normal that when the direction of water in the distribution system changes, sediment is disturbed and water runs brown for a period of time. This same discoloration occurs when standard repairs are made after a water main break.

Generally, periods of discolored water are short-lived, but earlier this week, DEP became aware of a concentration of complaints in Manhattan Community Board 6, after the system was initially activated in that area. This condition was brought to the Department's attention by Council Member Garodnick and corroborated by the number of calls made from Board 6 to 311. This is not consistent with what we would have expected based on the reactivation of the Croton system and it led DEP to look for another factor.

Field inspections indicated that differences in water pressure in the Croton system and the combined Delaware and Catskill systems might be causing a regulator that is normally in the closed position to open and close repeatedly, stirring sediment each time it moved. The City's water supply system is built to account for pressure fluctuations, using regulators to control water supply in response to demand, but this particular one would not have been expected to be active. DEP staff members have also discovered that several valves that would normally be open were in the closed position. We are in the process of correcting this, which should result in a noticeable decrease in incidents of discolored water.

DEP tests water regularly and those tests indicate that, although discolored, the water in the affected parts of Manhattan does not present a health risk. However, DEP recommends that if the water is brown, residents should run the tap until the water clears.

In addition to field testing drinking water on a daily basis DEP tracks and responds to 311 complaints, and conducts field surveys. As an additional precaution extra tests are being conducted in areas with high complaint volumes.

We expect to operate the Croton system for another several weeks and while this condition should not persist continuously, it may reoccur as neighborhoods return to the Catskill and Delaware water supply systems.

DEP will continue to monitor this closely and will keep information posted on its website. 11/14/08"

NYC Department of Environmental Protection

Stuyvesant Town Water Still Unusable

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:40:31 -0500

Residents at 622 East 20th Street in Stuyvesant Town have had unusable tap water for well over a month. Yesterday a resident turned on her water and it came out so polluted, it instantly turned her white washcloth dark brown as pictured. She called management and was told "...you are the only one complaining about brown water." That makes it OK?!?

She was also told the DEP was working on the water and said they would blow the line last night. When she called back after still having brown water she was told by management "we will schedule your line to be blown down sometime this week."

On the plus side, slum lord Rob Speyer and his wife, Anne-Cecilie Engell, are enjoying clean water on their honeymoon.

Time for the 'haves' and 'have-nots' to unite

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:25:31 -0500

A reader sent us this recent T&V Letter to the Editor we wanted to share.

Comment of The Week

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:37:50 -0500

"This is the result of our landlord's refusal to routinely blow down the line - not the recent city problem. Our hot water heating system needs maintenance and plumbers simply won't stay on top of it or are discouraged from doing so. I live in the A line along with many other cold, distraught rent-stabilized tenants. The pictured apartment also appears to be rent-stabilized. I have "tried to live" in spite of being unable to shower, wash dishes or take a hot bath on and off for 14 years. It happened often enough to have severely affected the quality of my life. That bathtub looks like it is full of bacteria-perhaps the H-pylori bacteria that continues to eat away at my stomach today. In addition to possible health ramifications, I have been made late and stressed so often after having to boil water, run for cabs and try to calm down before making appointments. Many times I have had to revise or simply cancel plans with friends to wait on hold, beg service to blow down the line, wait for plumbers to come witness the problem AGAIN and then do the clean up-often getting nauseated from all the Clorox.

Between the noise, construction, brown water, lack of heat etc. the quality of life here was and continues to be horrendous. It has taken quite a toll on my health and emotional well being. Had I found a rent-stabilized apartment somewhere else 14 years ago, I believe I wouldn't be in the state I am today. I am drained. The picture above is an example of what was coming out of my kitchen and bathtub faucet ALL WEEKEND. When I called service I was told, "no one is around." My son showered at a friend's house. Like many good citizens and TS tenants, I took showers in the city's dirty COLD water. I covered my cancerous breast - and bathed it separately in Poland Spring. After getting out of the dirty shower, I had my clothes close by as I know I will be trembling from the cold water and my cold apartment as this undesireable tenant doesn't deserve heat. I pay ONLY $1,745 a month to live on a filthy, noisy construction site.

Right now I have two leaf blowers right outside my window. I can't think. Tishman makes it clear that I am an undesireable tenant and am not wanted here. Believe me I want to get out but now I cannot afford to leave. Moving here was the biggest mistake I ever made."

- Nina, in response to "647 East 14th Street Sees Brown"

The Lux Weekender: Learn to Manage Magnificently

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:38:48 -0500

With a total economic collapse coming any day now, there's never been a better time to brush up on your managerial skills and show your boss you're worth a steady paycheck. Forget about those Anthony Robbins and Donald Trump courses at The Learning Annex, how many of their books do you need to buy? Sure, Dr. Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra can bring you inner peace and make you a better person but will that pay the rent? Unlikely! So what to do?

Stuyvesant Town and Tishman Speyer invite you to enroll in their new seminar, Learn to Manage Magnificently, taking place this Saturday at Oval Study.

George Hatzmann, Managing Director for Tishman Speyer will be on hand to give you expert advice on how he became an effective manager at Stuyvesant Town. "The first thing I did was set up my voicemail, and the second thing I did was ignore it," he tells us. "Tenants will have problems, but if I address them, it will only encourage them to call again with more problems. I'm a busy guy."

Mr. Hatzmann will also speak on the importance of task management. "I am a huge fan of delegating. I outsourced our billing department to India, put American Leisure in charge of the Oval Amenities, and hired inmates from the Fishkill Correctional Facility to write all of our correspondence."

Hatzmann does admit his reign at Stuyvesant Town has not always been smooth sailing. "Sure, there have been some bumps in the road, for example, tenants can't understand a single word of our customer service representatives' unique dialect. The Oval Amenities are mostly vacant when we're not hosting our violent, underground cage fights in them and the prison inmates who write our press materials, most only have a sixth grade education at best."

Fans of Mr. Hatzmann rave about his unique management techniques. "I've taken his seminars before and they are full of priceless information," says Ellen Sampson, a busy publicist who calls Stuyvesant Town home. "Before I met Mr. Hatzmann, I used to hire the best writers in New York City to write my press kits, but now, I employ my twelve year-old nephew, Timothy. I save a ton of money and it's shown me that my clients have a wonderful sense of humor!"

Learn to Manage Magnificently will take place at 3PM Saturday afternoon at Oval Study. There is a one-time enrollment fee of $250 and $15 fee to enter through the door.

CBS Reports on Stuy Town's Unusable Water

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:05:02 -0500

"Brown Tap Water Plagues NYC Residents For Weeks
Nov 13, 2009 6:18pm

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Thousands in Manhattan and the Bronx are seeing brown when they turn on the tap. The discolored water started flowing after a water supply system was reactivated, stirring up sediment.

The water should have cleared up in a day, and residents were told the problem would be temporary, but now weeks later, the problem continues.

Baths are getting a lot shorter for many New Yorkers who have brown water gushing out of their spigots. Nina Migliorini lives in Stuyvesant Town and showed CBS 2 the residue the water left behind in her bathtub.

"This is what people are frightened about, this is what they're afraid of submerging their body in or showering their body in," she said."

Brown Tap Water Plagues NYC Residents For Weeks [wcbstv]

Is Con Edison to Blame for Brown Water

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:08:46 -0500

Stuyvesant Town residents living near the corner of 14th Street and Avenue A have been subjected to noise from a Con Edison construction project for months. Back in September a security officer told a tenant the project was already two weeks behind schedule and from the looks of this photo taken by a Sty Spy, it will continue for a few more weeks at the very least.

Management has had minimal contact with the tenants, keeping them in the dark as to what the problem is and when they estimate the construction project will be complete. Residents living on the 14th Street Loop have had to find alternate parking on the already crowded city streets for months and have been harassed by security when scheduled deliveries need to be made.

Stuyvesant Town's tenants suspect this Con Edison construction project might have something to do with the brown water that is rapidly spreading through the complex. Tishman Speyer continues to pamphlet the property, encouraging residents to sign up for a new website that would allow them to get information on such construction projects. Surprising to no one, there is no information on the site about the 14th Street Loop construction project.

Photo submitted by a Sty Spy.

Tishman Speyer Cuts Jobs

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:52:24 -0500

From the New York Post

"WITH most commercial sales unable to get financing, and development stalled for the same reason, brokerages and title companies have been shedding staff.

And now developers are starting to make similar moves.

Tishman Speyer Properties, Forest City Ratner and Extell Development are among those that have had layoffs, sources said.

A source close to Tishman Speyer said those sacked represent less than 3 percent of the company's total workforce and did not involve senior management.

However, at the same time Tishman Speyer also has been snatching up people who were laid off from Wall Street due to the credit crunch.

A Tishman spokesman could not be reached for comment."

Developers Cutting Jobs [New York Post]

Tishman Speyer: Poor Little Rich Girl

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:56:55 -0500

Lux Living received an e-mail last night from Google notifying us that Tishman Speyer complained about our Google ad program and have shut it down. What do we learn?

That Tishman Speyer doesn't mind that you are without gas and heat for weeks at a time. It doesn't bother them that your apartment is taken over by mold or that your tap water is undrinkable. They are not fazed in the least by large rats and swarms of roaches infesting their buildings. Just don't dare show their ads next to ads for lawyers, water testing kits, and filtration systems!

And yet they wonder why tenants, both old and new, really, really, really dislike them. Glad to see they have their priorities straight!

No Compensation for Stuy Town's 12+ Day Gas Outage

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:16:04 -0500

Stuyvesant Town residents at 522, 524, and 526 East 20th Street will not receive any compensation for the twelve day gas outage in their apartment buildings. Stuyvesant Town property manager, Lance Cohen, sent an e-mail to residents inquiring about the half month gas outage saying that Tishman Speyer would not be offering any type of rent reduction for the utility outage. Aside from not being able to cook or do laundry, residents also had to deal with workers barging into their apartments to rip up their kitchen walls to access the illegal gas fixtures, often with little or no notice.

Romeo Ymalay at Senator Duane's Office Responds to Stuy Town Brown Water

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:05:05 -0500

Tonight Romeo N. Ymalay III from Senator Duane's office responds to Stuyvesant Town's brown water issue in a comment on a recent post. We wanted to be sure those dealing with the brown water issue could see the comment so we are reposting it and thank him for following up.

"I regret that the resident of 622 East 20 Street who called Senator Duane's office on Friday felt her concerns were being dismissed. I meant to convey that our office is looking into the brown water problems not only at Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village but in other areas of Senator Duane's district where it has been reported as well.

The New York City Department of Environment Protection (DEP) has indicated that dark or discolored water in Manhattan Community Board 6, which includes ST/PCV, and well as Board 4, 7,8, 9 10 and 11, can be traced to the activation of Shaft 33 of the Third Water Tunnel, which began mid-October. According to DEP's official statement, "This activation changes our water distribution from the Catskills/Delaware Reservoir System to the Croton Reservoir System. The water is safe to drink and does not require boiling, but washing clothes with discolored water may tint or stain garments. If sediment is present in the water, let it settle before drinking. The discoloration is expected to continue for the next 6 weeks."

Nonetheless, our office has reached out to ST/PCV management and asked that they check the complex's own water tanks as well. We will continue to monitor this situation.

Romeo N. Ymalay III
Legislative Aide
NYS Senator Thomas K. Duane
322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1700
New York, NY 10001
p: 212.633.8052
f: 212.633.8096
e: romeo@tomduane.com
url: www.tomduane.com"