Greenpoint
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Culture on the Cheap
Greenpoint’s Newest Hostel!
Anonymous writes:
Hi Heather
My Dad and his partner live around the corner from me. on Clay St, a few doors down from 66 Clay St (the former methadone clinic) which somehow overnight has turned into a $20 a night hostel .
Dad tells me that in the past week, there has been anywhere from 10-20; what appear to be teenagers milling around the front of the building and on a picnic bench in the parking lot, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, playing techno music dancing, having a general good time. Which no one should have a problem with, except the party doesn’t start until after 1AM and goes until sunrise
I’m going to try and spend a nice relaxing evening at Dad’s tonight in a bit of a stakeout to see if his complaints are valid
Ill keep you posted
What/if anything do you know about Marzili Hostel at 66 Clay St???
Hope you’re feeling better.
I’m operating at 90%, Anonymous (I’ll spare you the details about the other ten). Let’s start with what you have given me.
A web site purporting the “Marzilli” Hostel. (Click on the above image to enjoy the true hilarity).
Here’s the only Certificate of Occupancy on file. A residence for the mentally ill (a nice way of saying it was a methadone clinic). Which was , most assuredly, what it was.
Here’s what I saw today.
Some dude hanging out under a tent.
As to who owns this property. That’s where it gets fun! Per ACRIS:
The log-tossing goes on and on. My money is on Max Stark.
The person who gave the Garden Spot the gift that keeps on giving: the Greenpoint Hotel— a flophouse pretending to be a bed and breakfast. (Click on the previous link, it’s a pisser!)
The person who gives us 239 Banker Street: a hotel being utilized as luxury apartments, e.g.; The Sweater Lofts. STOP WORK ORDERS BE DAMNED! Since when have, and I quote:
New kitchens and bathrooms
Stainless steel appliances
HUGE awesome roof with views
MANY LAYOUTS TO CHOOSE FROM!
the previous amenities had anything to do with a “hotel”?
Your eyes are not deceiving you: this property has 46 “DOB” violations, 36 open, 42 “ECB” violations 34 of which are still open and a STOP WORK ORDER. Unpaid penalties and non-compliance. And yet they advertise.
Why not call the person responsible for this advertisement, Liz, and ask her? It’s pretty clear the Department of Buildings is unwilling or unable to do anything.
Miss Heather
Comments
10 Comments on Greenpoint’s Newest Hostel!
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mbrooklyn on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 7:53 am
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neighborhood threat on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 9:03 am
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AMOJA on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 11:11 am
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KittyontheAve on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 1:42 pm
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missheather on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 2:10 pm
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bleibtreu on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 2:49 pm
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lylet on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 3:07 pm
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missheather on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 3:09 pm
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SpillConspirator on
Mon, 13th Jul 2009 10:44 pm
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loftninja on
Sun, 16th Aug 2009 12:13 pm
aHa! that explains the groups of sort of unusually looking hipsterish in a particularly skinnywhiteboy youngster way passing down clay street this weekend toward the bridge.
There are multiple holding companies in the world of Sam & Max and their various partners, as I learned when I was renting spaces out at their property on Troutman St.
The thing is that this place IS legal as a hostel if it has a C of O as a hotel. It’s NOT zoned as a SRO, which – someone correct me if I’m wrong – has different rules, hence enforcing the 2-night minimum rule, which is supposed to (ideally) filter out transients and the type of customer the Greenpoint Hotel specializes in.
As much as I’d like to give it to these guys the hostel seems to actually be on the up and up. The noise complaints I understand, trust me I do.
The Sweater Factory, however, is a complete and total violation, but more and more people move in every day. There’s a van backed up to that sketchy freight elevator every couple of days unloading stuff. And they are working on the building again. I tried to call in a complaint the last time i heard power tools but got cut off.
I realize I’m ignoring the largest issue of this post, but since when is Clay St. only a few blocks from a subway directly into Manhattan? Last walked from this area to such a train I had to cross into a different borough. Also, how was I unaware that there was a methadone clinic around the corner from my apartment? I’m really not sure which makes me more uneasy, a clinic or a hostel. I think I have to go with hostel.
Hi Miss Heather,
I am trying to get an apt to look at these ‘lofts’. I’ll hopefully get back to you with pics and the lowdown
I have to agree with you that a hostel is a decided improvement over what used to be there. However, all we’ve done is traded one quality of life problem for another.
I was at a bar on Manhattan with some friends on Thursday night and we happened to meet a very cool 30ish guy visiting NYC from Australia. Uncanny how much he knew about baseball! You don’t usually hear detailed commentary on current MLB rosters given in an Aussie accent.
But anyway, we asked him where he was staying and at first thought he was describing the Greenpoint Hotel, until clarifying that it was on Clay St. So that was the way I first heard about this opening.
At least the C of O for the hostel is somewhat close to its actual use.
I checked out the Sweater bldg months ago, before they had leased any units (thru ownership – not any of the random CL brokers). The unit in the lower left hand photo (with the two ‘bedrooms’ built out) did not have a bathroom (neither plumbing nor a space for it). Not sure how they were going to work that one out. There were some nice raw spaces in the building – but quite frankly I don’t understand how they can be marketing them as 2 or 3 bedroom units. And while I was in there before the kitchens had appliances – anyone who is advertising them as having “luxury finishes” needs to lay off the pipe.
My favorite craigslist brokerbabble in reference to that building so far is the following: “Awesome Huge Cozy Loft”
How can something be “huge” and “cozy”? I thought the latter was “brokerspeak” for a shoebox?
Did the new place have ads up for “bed & breakfast”? I’m wondering where NY’s finest will juice up on their daily visits.
im with neighborhoodthreat
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