Jimmy's got a brand new bag while his husband is bringing home the bread

 

He is a reborn union man fighting real estate and for the working man and woman according to his website - Jimmy Van Bramer for Queens Borough President

 BUT he is notoriously close to real estate developers! In 2013 campaign finance records below show he got at least  $6,350.00 from a developer's family, the Wolkoffs, related to the Five Points Development, which not only got a lucrative variance BUT ALSO the developer G&M Realty owner -AKA Jerry Wolkoff - didn't use all union labor as promised. The people of LIC got glass behemoths instead - thanks to Jimmy! He is also an old friend of big-time developer Stuart Suna.

 

 

 

NY Post

While City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer may have sworn off special interest cash, the same hasn’t been true for his husband — author and documentary filmmaker Dan Hendrick.

His 2017 documentary “Saving Jamaica Bay” is larded to the hilt with money from lobbyists and big real estate interests the councilman swore to avoid, a review by The Post shows.

The influential lobbyists singled out for thanks in the film credits include Uber lobbyist Patrick Jenkins, the founder of Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates; Jon R. Del Giorno, a founding member of Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno and lobbyist for the Yankees; Arthur Goldstein, a partner in Davidoff Hutcher & Citron and lobbyist for the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation; former NYU lobbyist Rose Christ, of Cozen O’Connor; and Joe Reubens, a partner at The Parkside Group who lobbied for AT&T.

Big real estate also chipped in, with The Durst Organization, Tishman Speyer Properties, the Real Estate Board of New York Foundation and others also thanked in the film credits.

Hendricks made no secret of the need for financing while making the film, telling local news he took in “hundreds of thousands” of dollars for the flick, which was narrated by Susan Sarandon. 

 “On the surface, it doesn’t look good,” said Betsy Gotbaum, a former city Public Advocate and current executive director of the good government group Citizens Union.

5 Pointz emerges victorious, 6.75 million dollar case is settled.

 Queens Post

It’s time to pay up.

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a New York developer who had been ordered to pay $6.75 million to 21 aerosol artists in 2018 for destroying their work that was on the famous 5Pointz warehouse.

The decision ends a long saga between the artists and G & M Realty, which argued that the company was not liable for destroying the aerosol artwork since it was on their building that has since been demolished.

The dispute began soon after Jerry Wolkoff, the owner of G & M who died in July, announced in 2012 that he planned to flatten the 5Pointz warehouse to build two luxury rental towers. The announcement led to heated protests by hundreds of aerosol artists and their supporters who had turned 5Pointz into a major New York destination.

 he artists filed suit in Brooklyn federal court in the summer of 2013 to stop him from demolishing the building, alleging that Wolkoff would violate their rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act. The 1990 law aimed to protect public art of “recognized stature” even if it is on someone else’s property.

However, in November 2013 Wolkoff hired painters to whitewash the artwork in the middle of night to put the dispute to an end. He banned the artists from the site and refused to allow them to recover any work that could be removed, according to court records.

Wolkoff maintained that the works were temporary and not protected by law, and that he had the right to do as he wished on his property. The warehouse was demolished in 2014 and two residential towers have gone up on the site that are almost complete.

A federal jury ruled in favor of the artists in November 2017, and found that Wolkoff had “willfully” disregarded his requirement under the VARA. He was required to provide the artists with “90 days notice before destroying their work.

 

Jerry Wolkoff, Five Pointz building owner, dead at 83

The Real Deal

" I hate sleeping,” Wolkoff said. “People love sleep. What is that? Did you ever make one penny sleeping? Never.”

Recent charter vote on ULURP approval is giving some developers agita

The Real Deal

Much of the excitement around New York’s election Tuesday centered on the approval of ranked choice voting, but passage of a down-ballot question affecting projects has drawn the ire of some developers.
 
The measure requires the Department of City Planning to give the relevant borough president, borough board and community board a detailed summary of projects subject to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure at least 30 days before the ULURP application is certified for public review. It also added 15 or 30 days to the time that community boards have to review such applications during the summer.
 
Some developers criticized it for adding more time and red tape to an already lengthy process but others said it will not have a big impact on their projects.
 
“Extra time is not the end of the world,” said Eli Weiss of Joy Construction, which is currently working on projects in neighborhoods including the South Bronx and Inwood. “Especially if it’s 15 days.”
 
“It’s a minimal change,” Weiss continued. “Certainly, I don’t view it as damage, and I think that community board members are not [real estate] professionals, so an extra 30 days, it’s understandable. These are volunteers.”
 
G&M Realty founder Jerry Wolkoff was more upset about the measure. He stressed that developers usually already need multiple attempts to get through the ULURP process, and these added steps will make that process even longer.
 
“It doesn’t happen on the first go around,” Wolkoff said of getting ULURP approval from a community board. “They have other questions. The five months will turn into a year, so there’s nothing new for New York.”
 
Another developer, who asked not to be named, echoed these comments, arguing that the changes will make real estate investors more inclined to build outside of New York City.

Wolkoff adds public library to "5 Pointz" tower, community board approves

THE CITY

A Queens community board reversed its opposition to a new proposal for 5Pointz Towers — a luxury complex planned at the site of a famed former Long Island City street art mecca — thanks, in part, to a library.

The yes vote came just over two months after Community Board 2 wrote a letter to the City Planning Commission recommending denial of the application, alleging the developer had “sought every way to thwart community board review.”

On Thursday night, the board made a surprise 180-degree turn — in the middle of its meeting. First, members voted 20-to-8 against the developer’s application. Then they voted 23-to-5 in favor of the towers after a proposal to set aside 5,000 square feet for a library.

The space was viewed by board members as a possible replacement for the Court Square Library, which is in danger of losing its longtime home in the Citigroup Building.

The board’s land use chair, Lisa Deller, said after the meeting the idea had not been previously discussed with the developers or the Queens Public Library.

The board’s advisory vote marked the latest chapter in the saga of 5Pointz — the former warehouse complex that drew artists and art lovers from around the world until the owners whitewashed the walls before demolishing the buildings in 2013.

Developer David Wolkoff, who co-owns the property with his father, Jerry, filed an application with the City Planning Commission in May to build 1,100 apartments and to increase each of the complex’s two towers by one floor, tweaking previous plans.

“I’ve been in the community over 47 years,” Jerry Wolkoff told CB2 Thursday night. “The community never had a problem with me until I wanted to build this building.”

Wolkoffs hold secret meeting with CB2 over 5 Pointz tower developments

THE CITY

Queens community board members met privately last week with a developer seeking their approval on revised plans to build luxury apartment buildings at the old 5Pointz graffiti hotspot, THE CITY has learned.

Three people, including developer David Wolkoff, gathered at Manducatis Rustica, Italian restaurant, on July 16. The session came less than two weeks before the board’s deadline to weigh in on an expanded version of the two towers Wolkoff hopes to build.

The board is under no legal obligation to be transparent. But news of the session rankled good-government watchdogs and opponents of the plan, who are still furious nearly six years after Wolkoff whitewashed the street art that drew visitors from around the world.

Community Board 2 Chairperson Denise Keehan-Smith previously told THE CITY a meeting was scheduled — but did not address subsequent repeated question on what was discussed at the restaurant or who attended the clandestine get-other.

 “We are preparing our recommendation” for the revised plan, Keehan-Smith said on Monday, declining further comment. Lisa Deller, the board’s Land Use Committee chairperson, said at a June meeting that a letter of denial already had been drafted.

Wolkoff, who co-owns the property with his father Jerry, did not respond to a request for comment. Jerry Wolkoff told THE CITY that he didn’t see anything wrong with the covert meeting.

“I encourage my son and myself to meet with anybody in a community or anybody in the city… Why shouldn’t we?” Wolkoff said. “I wouldn’t do anything where I would hurt a community or hurt individuals.”

“My son is the same way,” he added. “He will reach out to people to meet because I’ve always done that. We don’t hide. I’m a different developer. We meet, we listen, and if it makes sense we’re going to do it.”

 

$6.7M awarded to 5 Pointz artists by federal judge

From PIX11:

A New York judge has awarded $6.7 million to graffiti artists who sued after their work was destroyed on buildings torn down to make room for luxury condos.

Federal Judge Frederic Block in Brooklyn noted Monday there was no remorse from the owner of the warehouse buildings. Long Island Developer Jerry Wolkoff allowed the painting for decades on the property.

In November 2017 during a three-week trial, twenty-one aerosol artists sued the owner of a Long Island City, Queens site known as 5Pointz.

The case was based on the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990. That federal law allows artists "to prevent any destruction of a work of recognized stature, and any intentional or grossly negligent destruction of that work"

The judge said he would not have assessed so much in damages if the owner had awaited his permits and demolished the art 10 months later than he did. Wolkoff ordered crews to whitewash the building one night. Wolkoff tells PIX11 News he plans to appeal the ruling.

Block said he hoped the award would give teeth to a federal law that should have kept Wolkoff from demolishing them for at least 10 months, when he had all his permits.

Artists then could have easily rescued some paintings from siding, plywood or sheet-rock before the rollers, spray machines and buckets of white paint arrived.

"Wolkoff has been singularly unrepentant. He was given multiple opportunities to admit the whitewashing was a mistake, show remorse, or suggest he would do things differently if he had another chance," Block said.

"Wolkoff could care less. As he callously testified," the judge said. "The sloppy, half-hearted nature of the whitewashing left the works easily visible under thin layers of cheap, white paint, reminding the plaintiffs on a daily basis what had happened. The mutilated works were visible by millions of people on the passing 7 train."

Jury sides with 5 Pointz

From Curbed:

A jury has concluded that 5 Pointz developer Jerry Wolkoff violated the law when he whitewashed that buildings without warning, erasing graffiti from dozens of artists. The jury’s findings will serve as a recommendation to the lawsuit’s presiding judge, who will then render a final verdict, reports the New York Times.

“The jury sided strongly with the rights of the artists. This is a clear message from the people that the whitewashing of the buildings by its owner was a clear and willful act,” said lawyer Eric Baum, who represents the artists that filed the suit.

The judge will ultimately determine the repercussions of Wolkoff’s actions, which could include making him pay the artists for destroying their artwork.

5Pointz heading to court

From the NY Times:

This is no vandalism case in a criminal courthouse, but rather a federal lawsuit filed in 2013 by the 23 artists who painted regularly at 5Pointz, against its owner, Jerry Wolkoff, who ordered the artwork destroyed.

The artists scored an incremental legal victory on March 31 when Judge Frederic Block of Federal District Court in Brooklyn ruled that their case could have a jury trial.

The plaintiffs hope it could become a landmark case. Celebrity artists like Banksy have gained prominence in recent years, and street art — whether spray painted, stenciled or wheat-pasted — has gained increasing respect and value, even when created on walls not owned by the artists.

The ruling sets up the fascinating scene of a trial in which art experts could be called to weigh in on the integrity of what court papers call “aerosol art,” and to evaluate the graffiti artists themselves. Evidence will include articles on 5Pointz, a building complex along Jackson Avenue in Long Island City that was covered with spray-painted murals by top street artists from New York and around the world.

Painting with Mr. Wolkoff’s permission, artists had turned the spot into an international graffiti mecca, an exhibition space and conservatory.

Preparing to build high rises on the property in 2013, Mr. Wolkoff faced opposition from the artists, who sought to block the demolition. He hired a crew that painted over the murals under cover of night, then left the building sitting for months until it was knocked down in 2014.

The judge’s ruling offers the artists a chance to confront Mr. Wolkoff in court and to seek redress for painting over their work, said Jonathan Cohen, an artist who had curated the murals and helped organize the artists at 5Pointz since 2002.

Mr. Cohen said he was hopeful that the suit might become a landmark case to establish street art as legitimate contributions worthy of protection.

Protest at former 5 Pointz site

From the Observer:

Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera and Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, along with several hundred union workers, blasted a developer—whom LaBarbera called a “piece of shit”—who they say broke a promise to use union workers at its Long Island City construction site.

According to Van Bramer, Jerry Wolkoff, co-owner of G&M Realty agreed to several community givebacks during the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process, including a commitment to build and staff the site, the 5Pointz warehouse at 45-46 Davis St. with 100 percent union labor. In exchange the city granted G&M the ability to build 400 additional units—but Van Bramer says Wolkoff has since backtracked on the agreement.

Wolkoff reneges on agreement and uses non-union workers

From the Times Ledger:

In a deal brokered by City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), Wolkoff agreed to several major givebacks in order to secure the special permit. He agreed to increase affordable units from 75 to 210 and he committed to building and staffing the building with 100 percent union workers.

“He scored variances that allowed him to build five times bigger than the zoning law allows with the promise he’d use the unions to build here,” Michael Donnelly, a council representative with the Council of Carpenters, said. “There are none, zero, union workers on this site except for the Teamsters delivering the cement. Jerry Wolkoff is not a man of his word. This is an absolute s**t show down here.”

Gary LaBarbera, the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, agreed.

“We offered him a Project Labor Agreement and he didn’t want to sign it, he thought he could do better without an agreement,” LaBarbera said. “But we shook hands and he gave me his word. He committed that it would be a union job. Obviously his word means nothing.”

Wolkoff said he would never sign a PLA because it would increase the cost of the project by $30 million to $40 million.

“Look, I’ve got nothing against the unions, believe me, but it has to make sense. I have to be able to build at an affordable cost,” Wolkoff said. “I wouldn’t sign a PLA that would let them tell me who to hire and who to fire. In this game you’ve got a few chiefs and a lot of Indians when it comes to the unions. Say you’ve got a job for 40 workers and they’ll bring eight supervisors just to watch them. It gets silly and remember, I’ve got to build all those extra affordable units.”

Van Bramer is attempting to bring Wolkoff and LaBarbera together.

Well that's nice. Why not go to court and shut the project down since he's blatantly violating the agreement passed by the city council? Or does the council only go to court to support malls on parkland? I'd like to point out that this very move was predicted 2 1/2 years ago.

Hey labor unions, perhaps you may want to invest your dough in someone other than Jimmy.

Wolkoffs plan to cash in on 5Pointz name

From the Queens Courier:

The owners of what was once home to the iconic outdoor art exhibit 5Pointz – which has since been demolished completely – have reportedly announced that they will recycle the name for new residential towers taking its place.

Jerry and David Wolkoff of G&M Realty tried previously trademarking the name but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied their request. A California-based real estate company had already trademarked the name.

However, they were able to register the name as a servicemark with the state, according to published reports.

The site, located at 45-46 Davis St. in Long Island City, will soon be the home of two $400 million luxury towers with 1,000 units divided between the two buildings.

Petition to stop G&M Realty from trademarking the name 5Pointz

From Change.org:

In 2002 artist Jonathan Cohen aka MeresOne reached an agreement with Gerald Wolkoff, real estate developer and owner of a warehouse in Queens. MeresOne was given full curatorial and operational control to host aerosol and street artists to come paint legally without repercussions. Given the chance to curate 200,000 square feet of blank canvas, Jonathan Cohen named the art program 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center and created it's logo.
For over 11 years MeresOne volunteered and transformed a blank and dilapidated building into the epicenter of legal aerosol art in the world, catering to beginners, famed artists, art lovers and alike becoming the number one tourist attraction in Queens, New York. www.5ptz.com

On November 19th, 2013 New York City awoke to discover all the art pieces white washed and 5 Pointz destroyed. This art genocide was ordered by G&M realty, landlord of 5 Pointz, owner of the land and building, the destruction of the art work occurred in the dark of the night. This act was justified by the owner claiming 5 Pointz was not relevant and he owned the property hosting the art.

March 2014, the landlord G&M realty filed their request to trademark the name 5 Pointz to promote, market and advertise their new project, two luxury rental high-rise towers to be erected on the graveyard which became to be known as the graffiti mecca of the world, 5 Pointz.

Join me in requesting the attention of the trademarking commission to stop G&M realty from exploiting further the art community and capitalizing on the fame of 5 Pointz created by Jonathan Meres one Cohen, by the people for the people.

Wolkoff tries to trademark 5 Pointz name

From DNA Info:

The owner of the 5Pointz complex currently being demolished to make way for apartment towers are trying to have the name of the street art mecca trademarked — a move artists criticized as trying to "bank off our name."

G&M Realty, the developer planning to build about 1,000 rental units at the Long Island City site, submitted an application in March to trademark "5Pointz," according to documents filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The latest filing shows their bid was initially refused in June because the mark was too similar to another that's already registered, according to the document. G&M Realty has six months to respond to the decision.

Jerry Wolkoff, the developer, said 5Pointz refers to the location, not the artists or the artwork that previously adorned the property.

Why did Wolkoff donate $10K to Malcolm Smith?

From the Times Ledger:

Queens’ most notorious developer of 2013 made a sizable political contribution to the borough’s most ambitious, federally indicted politician of the year.

About a month after he raised the indignation of aerosol art lovers everywhere by whitewashing the graffiti institution 5Pointz in Long Island City, owner/developer Jerry Wolkoff made a $10,000 donation in December to the re-election campaign of state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans). Smith is facing federal charges accusing him of trying to bribe Republican leaders to endorse him in a long-shot bid for mayor.

“I see Malcolm. I speak to him quite often. I believe in the guy,” Wolkoff said. “I know he might have a tough road ahead of him in this campaign, but I believe he’s good.”

Wolkoff said he believes Smith to be innocent and would have voted for him for mayor because he thinks the southeast Queens Democrat is a business-minded lawmaker who can spur job growth.

“I knew when I gave it to him that I’m going to be criticized, but if I believe in somebody, I’m going to back them,” he said.

Poster protest targets Van Bramer

Protest continues at 5 Pointz

Photos by Jerry Rotondi

Final paint job for 5 Pointz

From Crain's:

Working under the protection of NYPD officers in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, a crew of more than a dozen people painted over in white every square inch of the distinctive graffiti that had made the 5Pointz building in Long Island City a local landmark in recent years. The move came as the building's owner prepares to replace the industrial buildings with residential towers.

"I got it over with, and believe me, I had tears in my eyes," said Jerry Wolkoff, owner of G&M Realty. "I love what [the artists] did, otherwise I wouldn't have let them do it for the last 20 years, but it was time and I just wanted to end it."

Mr. Wolkoff and his son David, who together run G&M, and have plans to demolish the complex housing light-industrial users as well as artists' studios. In its place they plan to erect nearly 1,000 units of housing in two towers rising 41 and 47 stories.


One last mural:

5 Pointz likely doomed after latest court decision

From LIC Post:

The 5 Pointz artists were dealt a severe blow today when a Federal Court Judge ruled against them, virtually condemning the building to the wrecking ball.

Judge Frederic Block denied the artists a preliminary injunction, which would have stopped G&M Realty from demolishing the building while a lengthy legal fight took place. A temporary restraining order, which was issued twice in October dealing with the same case, was lifted.

The last throw of the dice for the artists is to appeal Block’s decision to the Second Circuit. However, Block did not hand down his full written decision today, which would be the basis of the appeal. That is likely to come within the week.

The artists would need to get an Appeals Court Judge to grant them a stay—which would stop demolition until the case was fully litigated.

While the artists can continue with their lawsuit without a stay or a preliminary injunction, the building is likely to come crashing down while the matter is being decided in court. The artists would get monetary damages if they prevailed—but the building would be gone.

Judge says 5 Pointz is coming down

From the NY Post:

Banksy has lost his final New York tussle with The Man.

The street artist threw his weight behind a fight to preserve a famed Long Island City graffiti mecca – but a Brooklyn federal judge said Friday that the building is “coming down.”

Banksy’s work became a central topic in the court battle over 5 Pointz, an otherwise derelict warehouse used by the biggest names in aerosol art that draws gawkers from around the world.

Attorneys for the artists cited a law that prohibits the destruction of art to block the demolition while property owner lawyers said the colorful pieces don’t qualify.

5 Pointz lawyers repeatedly pointed to the massive popularity and notoriety of Banksy’s temporary installations as proof that longevity and permanence are not required to qualify something as legitimate art.

The artist personally weighed in on the controversy on his Web site just before he concluded his New York residency. “Save 5 Pointz,’ he wrote.

The shadowy stencil king’s name was frequently broached in court to help win over Judge Frederic Block – but the jurist flatly stated that property rights trump artist rights in this instance.