During a recent media roundtable at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Mayor de Blasio said that Gregg Singer, who owns the former P.S. 64 on Ninth Street, "has been exceedingly uncooperative" about selling the building back to the city, as The Villager reported.
However, Singer told Patch that he hasn't heard from anyone at the mayor's office about the property he bought in a city auction in 1998.
Some background: During a town hall forum at P.S. 188 last October, de Blasio said that the Giuliani administration should not have auctioned off the property, and that he would work to "right the wrongs of the past," as DNAifno reported.
"For the administration to put that building into private hands failed miserably, and we’ve seen the negative affect that that has had on the community. So I'm announcing tonight the city's interest in re-acquiring that building," de Blasio said, eliciting cheers from the audience.
And during the media roundtable on Aug. 23, de Blasio said the following, as reported by The Villager:
“We’ve tried to have a productive conversation about purchase,” he said. “We’ve gotten nowhere so far. We’re not giving up. We’re working very closely with the councilmember, Carlina Rivera. I’m very frustrated with that owner.”
Eminent domain, though it may not be an immediate option, is “certainly something I want to know more about, but I had hoped the best solution here would be a direct purchase,” de Blasio explained. “That’s not off the table. It’s just we’re just not getting any cooperation so far.”
And as Patch reported last Friday afternoon:
"When I read the report that Mayor de Blasio told the media that I had been 'exceedingly uncooperative,' I was astonished at the brazenness of the mayor's lie," Singer told Patch.
"I know that politicians are not known for their strict adherence to the truth, but when someone like the mayor can claim to be frustrated because I have been uncooperative when I have not received a single email or phone call from him or anyone in his office is simply unbelievable."
Singer challenged the mayor's office to produce email and phone logs that the city has reached out to him.
Singer has said that he has no intention of selling the building, which he bought for $3.15 million. He wants to turn the landmarked property into a dorm called University Square, which continues in a holding pattern while the DOB maintains a Stop Work Order on the building.
In years past several local elected officials, community activists and residents have asked for the return of the building at 605 E. Ninth St. Avenue B and Avenue C for community use. The building became a community center after the school left in 1977. The group was evicted when Singer took over as the landlord.
Previously on Ev Grieve:
The Times explores the past, present and future of the former P.S. 64
17 comments:
"he said, she said you did" for another 20 years.
Gregg Singer is openly refusing to sell the building. So any talk on his part about the mayor being dishonest or acting in bad faith is superseded by Singer's public "no" answer. The city should indeed take the property by eminent domain if it has a proper public use for it. I'm real tired hearing about this guy trying to turn this site into an apartment block that nobody wants.
Actually no. The mayor owes allegiance to his constituents so lying to their faces about something they have been tirelessly fighting for isn't tantamount to a developer that legally owns a property refusing to put it on the market.
Apartment block that nobody wants? Yeah, we don't need more housing supply here or anything. Not like that's economically proven to be the most effective way to combat out of control rent increases and prevent NYC from seeing a housing crisis like San Francisco. As they say, if you don't build it, nobody will come here anymore! Right???
How clueless is this guy to have been repeatedly trolled by Mayor DeBlasio and not to even realize he’s being played? DeBlasio knows Singer is stubbornly dug in on the issue and is acting out of emotion. This is a power play and it’s like the guy isn't even paying attention. If he was smart (and that's a big if) he would call the Mayor’s bluff and offer to sell it for $100 million, or some other outrageous price. Instead, he’s just stubbornly sitting on a rotting property that cannot be developed and that nobody would want to buy as long as this political cloud hangs over the building.
If Singer doesn't want to sell it back, eminent domain it and he gets nothing.
Eminent domain requires compensation. Are you saying the govt should take private property from citizens for political reasons and not compensate them? If the community wants it go biy it or have the city buy it. If he womt sell too bad. And the Mayor is a corrupt incompetent liar as the MYCHA fiasco shows.
@Anonymous at 10:08 AM: You clearly have no idea of how the eminent domain process works.
To Giovanni's point, I'm actually not sure the city has leverage here, beyond eminent domain, because it's my recollection that Singer's paying himself -- out of his investors' pockets, of course -- a princely sum to "manage" the property. So he has no incentive to sell his golden goose.
There's a desperate need for school space in the neighborhood -- seize it, refurbish it and return it to its original use.
Yoo hoo has anyone been paying any attention to whats been happening to our democracy lately? Now is not the time to negotiate! Its time to stand up for ourselves and resist the greed of enemies of the people like Singer! I call on every EVG reader and real NYC progressives to occupy this space and show them who this land really belongs to!! All power to the people, all people have the power! Let's do this!!
This is just our "progressive" mayor playing racial politics. Promise the Latinos PS 64 and he owns their votes. it's sad how he makes fools of them. It's even more sad how Rivera betrays her own people(but betrayal is her middle name). CHARAS is dead. GONE. That was 20 years ago. The community has changed. The needs of the community have changed. Talk of a rebirth is just that... talk. NEW IDEAS ARE WELCOMED THAT INVOLVE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY ... not just the ghost of CHARAS PAST.
Stop being so naive. The mayor doesn't want anything to do with this building.
@12:04 anon, the land "really" belongs to the guy who bought it, not "the people". The city has no legal reason for eminent domain and has no will to pay market value for the building. Worry about issues that actually matter.
@11:58 AM Singer's dishonest and has always refused to live up to the conditions of the sale but there is no need for public school space in this neighborhood. Two middle schools were just merged.
I say the city should show the paper trail of Singer being offered great deals within the terms of the original sale and then sue to purchase the building back at original cost plus interest less the damage Singer did by gutting the building and destroying the brickwork and legal fees. What should be done with the building after that? Given Bill "big real estate" DeBlasio probably residential development is inevitable with a certain portion of the units for "low income" - which seems to mean something like 80k a year for a family of 4 these days
Blight is a legal basis for establishing eminent domain. As someone who has walked past this building often, I can testify that in it's current state, this once beautiful school is a blight upon our neighborhood. Though it may be "legal" for Mr. Singer to continue to hold this building, it is immoral for him to continue to inflict the blight he purposefully created here upon his neighbors and upon our neighborhood.
You can always make up a reason for eminent domain. Do it.
If the city decided to use eminent domain I don't think the market value of the building would be extreme because of the limited use it can be put do, as evidenced by the 20 years of disuse. I suspect Mayor B's interest in seizing the building is close to zero.
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