Jared Kushner's Kushner Companies has expanded its East Village portfolio.
According to Lois Weiss at the Post, Kushner has closed on a 16-building apartment portfolio for $131.5 million. Two of the properties are in the East Village — 104 E. Seventh St. and 438-440 E. 13th St.
Stone Street and Florida-based HIG Realty Partners were the sellers. Stone Street bought the EV properties in November 2012.
We heard from a resident at No. 438 this past April who let us know what life has been like here since Stone Street took over the building. First, the resident says that many longtime tenants were driven out of their units … "and we had to deal with a round of apartment gut renovations last year."
And!
"I have lived in the East Village for [20-plus] years and have never dealt with such disregard for tenants," the resident said. "Even the tenants who moved into the renovated 'luxury' units are being screwed."
Not that Kushner will be a much better landlord. The Kushner Companies have not been very popular around here with all the allegations and subsequent media reports of tenant harassment and quality-of-life issues brought on by gut renovations in their buildings.
The Kushner Companies have bought up 28-29 or so East Village walk-up buildings in the past two years.
Previously on EV Grieve:
2 East Village buildings part of $73 million deal
Life at 438 E. 13th St.
