Illegal boarding house vacated

From the Times Ledger:

The city last weekend vacated an illegal South Jamaica boarding house, which is the target of a lawsuit, after a suspicious fire broke out in the cellar.

On Saturday evening, the FDNY put out a small fire in the basement of the three-quarter house, at 144-01 Lakewood Ave., which just two weeks ago was the subject of a TimesLedger Newspapers article about a class-action lawsuit against the building’s landlord, Yury Baumblit.

The lawsuit claims Baumblit operates his three-quarter houses as unlicensed rehabilitative and transitional housing programs that treat tenants as clients, violating their tenants’ rights.

There were about a dozen women living in bunk beds from the cellar up through the attic of the two-story house, according to tenants.

One of those tenants, Valerie Williamson, said Baumblit had illegally evicted her from the bunk she slept in on the building’s second floor more than two weeks ago for her participation in the lawsuit, and she claimed a victory when Baumblit admitted in Queens Housing Court he had illegally evicted her and agreed to let her return. The class-action lawsuit is still pending in Brooklyn Supreme Court.

On the night of the fire, there were about a dozen or so women in the South Jamaica building, all of whom escaped without injury, the Fire Department said.

Halfway house destroying hotel business

"I recently had a wonderful stay at D Piper Inn at Rockaway Beach. It's truly my retreat away from Brooklyn!!

I would, however, like to point out how uncomfortable I felt this time. There seemed to be a house full of men that lived next door (154 Beach 114). I couldn't walk by, without one of the guys yelling comments at me, from the porch. If I walked down the alley to the back yard, they would be out their windows yelling, "Hey sweetheart, Psst!! Psst!" In the morning, I wanted to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee on the front patio, but they were hanging off their porch next door, leering at me, so I had to come and sit up on the more protected/private porch area, to feel more comfortable. I chose room A, so I could have the sea air blowing in my window, but I honestly kept my wooden blinds pulled, preventing the wonderful breeze, because they could see in my window, if they wanted to, and I just felt so paranoid from all the attention. Even when I sat on the boardwalk in the evenings, at the end of the street, they would come near me, staring and getting in my personal space--I wondered if one was going to grab the food right out of my hand, because he came so close. (I watched them go down Beach 114th, and so I assumed they were going back to that building, as this didn't happen on any of my other visits to the Inn.)

Also, one night the peace and quiet in my room was interrupted by one of the men on their cell phone, cussing their girlfriend out, yelling profanities like "F... You" and calling her a "F... B..." He must have yelled and cussed at her for a half hour or more. It was disgusting to hear.

I really love staying at the Inn, and I want to go back. But I truly hope that something changes by the time I return. I go there to de-stress, and I find the unwarranted attention very stressful."

- Anonymous

The problem is that the place next door went from being vacant to an illegal halfway house for recently released felons.

Since the City seems to be trying to make Rockaway the next big thing, why are they still dumping dirtbags there?

See previously: The Rockaway Renaissance is over

Owner gives up on luxury halfway house

From BushwickBK:

Ashley Khan has been hustling 979 Willoughby Avenue as a sober house for the past six months since the building’s owner, Benjamin Glasser, struggled to sell the condominium units for market rate.

Khan withstood heavy pressure from elected officials, Willoughby Avenue-area homeowners, and members of Community Board Four who were none too keen about having a condominium converted into a three-quarter house less than a block from two day-care centers and a senior home run by RBSCC, the community organization founded by Lopez.

On June 4, the city sent inspectors to examine the building following a 311 complaint that the condominium was being "used as a hotel." After a confrontation with Khan, inspectors referred the matter to the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement.

"After they sent the Department of Buildings, and the wrath of [Robert] Scarano [the building's architect], I said ‘Fuck it’, I stopped everything," said Khan. "I still have people there, protected by the Disabilities Act. I threw some of them out. I’m getting rid of them slowly. When they have a violation, I evict them. The community doesn’t want them there, so why keep them there?"

The owner is now on Plan D, which is to clear out tenants recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and soon rent the rooms out to "yuppies" at market rate.

"It’s becoming renting residential apartments," said developer Glasser. "It no longer will house any program whatsoever. After I was harassed by the neighborhood, followed around by neighborhood thugs, and my life threatened, I figured it was not a good idea to help people."

Bushwick Scarano building to become halfway house

From the Times Newsweekly:

Apartments in the 8-unit building located at 979 Willoughby Ave., at the corner of Evergreen Avenue, went on the market in 2007 with listed prices as high as $668,000. But the luxury apartments—designed by Scarano Architects and constructed by Vintage Builders—have remained unsold, and rather than seek renters for the apartments, the owners have reportedly contracted to operate a halfway house at the location.

“The wonderful condominium that was built on the corner of our block was turned into a halfway house without our knowledge,” said Evette Villafane, a long time resident of Evergreen Avenue. “We have a day care center next door. We have drug spots in the area. This is the last place we should be putting this kind of facility.”

Villafane believed that the halfway house was being run by an organization called the Gelzer Foundation, which has come under fire in Bedford-Stuyvesant for opening a supportive housing unit at 332 Malcolm X Blvd. without first notifying the community.

It couldn't have happened to a more beautiful building...

Here's what they were saying about it 3 years ago.