Sometimes the LPC is just a pain in the ass

From the Daily News:

In 1999, the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association (BCAA) purchased the building for a little more than $200,000 from another community group, the Sunset Park Music Group.

"We hoped we'd be able to raise enough money to restore it," recalled Paul Mack, who founded the BCAA, an expanding network of 18 senior centers and childcare programs.

Mack and the chair of Community Board 7, Fred Xuereb, met with Landmark staff on Aug. 6, where the city officials threatened to file legal action known as a "demolition by neglect" suit, which could result in up to $5,000 daily fines.

"We are prepared to pursue legal action unless the owner takes the necessary steps to repair this historic building," landmarks spokeswoman Elisabeth de Bourbon said in a statement.

Mack countered that the commission has rejected BCAA's application for a $25,000 grant to finance some of the fixes.

"They want us to fix it but are not giving any financial support," Mack said in his makeshift office, an empty classroom at his center's flagship site on 8th Ave and 50th St.

The cash-strapped nonprofit plans to first fix the outside bricks, then place beams inside to ensure that the walls do not crash down, and eventually finish patching up the attached former stable.

"I'm not a greedy landlord. I'm just a social-service provider," Mack said.