Greenpoint Degentrification Watch: Lofts 305 Still Sucks

December 11, 2009 ·
Filed under: 11222, Bloomblight, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic

Remember this edifice? It is located at 305 McGuinness Boulevard. I have written about this testament to the failure of the “gentrification” of Greenpoint on far more occasions than I care recount. Look ’em up on my site. That said, I really enjoy comparing this to this. That’s some damned good Photoshop work! But I digress.

My friends at Curbed scooped me on the infamous lock-out back in April. Today, I will recount to you a few problems a current resident is experiencing at 305 Lofts. While you read the following I want you to bear in mind this person, whose identity I will keep anonymous, is paying $2,800 a month in rent for this “experience”. Here’s the back-story:

The reason this person lives at 305 Lofts is because he/she originally signed a lease (and tendered a security deposit of $3,000) for an apartment 110 Green Street: another nondo known as The Viridian.
The organization behind this atrocity went bankrupt and his/her agent (under the hire of Cityspaces) showed him/her 149 Huron Street (the now failed Geo Condominiums— see a pattern developing here?). After noting the buckling wood floors (and less square footage) he/she refused.

Then the agent took him/her to 305 McGuinness Boulevard. AKA: 305 Lofts. He/she signed a 2 year lease and now regrets it. BIG TIME. Among other things:

His/her apartment is still unfinished— as is a great deal of the building.
The tap water is white or brown— this varies by apartment.
The tiling in his/her bathroom is cracking and laden with mold. This has to be doused with bleach every day.
His/her oven does not work properly due to lack of sufficient insulation/cabinetry.
The landlord— or someone purporting to represent the landlord, one never knows with this place— has made it known that anyone involved in forming a “tenants’ group” will be evicted.

Nice, eh?

By the way, landlords retaliating against tenants for organizing is illegal. Then again, given all the problems with this property it is all too clear they don’t care— and why should they? The people behind 305 McGuinness have been hit with several violations for endangering public safety. The fines assessed (and paid) range from $480 to $2,000. This is what public safety (READ: a human life) is worth per the Department of Buildings.

Miss Heather

Posted by missheather 7 Comments

New York Shitty Day Starter: Separated At Birth…

September 14, 2009 ·
Filed under: 11101, 11222, Bloomblight, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Long Island City, Queens

or would that be death?

Colleen writes: not to take away from your own adventures in shit condos, thought you’d enjoy this.

Enjoy it I did (although Cheapshit failed to mention vibramassage beds in the above post). I laughed my ass off. Here’s another corker.

Cheapshit writes:

From their website

The Cobrizo @ Lake Union, combines affordability with spectacular views of Lake Union. The buildings trendy industrial exterior flows into the interior where interesting colors, angles and transitions between rooms emulate an active urban lifestyle.

WTF are they talking about?!?

By “emulate an active urban lifestyle” they must mean living directly on one of Seattle’s biggest highways, Aurora. Do not actively run across the highway in front, you will die…

I take issue with this. At least the Cobrizo has nice cement barriers to prevent some hapless idiot from driving into some other hapless idiot’s living room.

Last month in Greenpoint, Brooklyn U.S.A. a traffic light and one of Mayor Mike’s 1,000,000 trees “took one for the team”.

This little mishap blocked McGuinness Boulevard for hours. I have no idea how the chair factors into this. It has four legs; it could have, should have run. Maybe it did? In any case it does not appear to be very happy.

The “305 Lofts” were planned as condominiums but have since been dumped into rental property— with a few hilarious bumps along the way. I suspect the proximity to McGuinness Boulevard and being located one block away from the east coast’s largest waste treatment plant might have something to do with this. But I digress. Let’s proceed to the supreme grotesque— the purpose of this post.

In regards to the latter Cheapshit writes:

In these days of Seattle condo market freefall, we don’t build new condos. We almost tear down old buildings that were perfectly livable and leave them undemolished while making web sites about the fancy condo towers that we might build. This near pile of rubble one year later is the site of the “Seneca Towers”. The developer Levin Menzies, living in California, seems to have lost interest in this project. This is also what happens when you let developers run your city.

Same goes in New York Shitty. Who needs history or character when condos beckon?

Different coast, same story.

I am certain when the time comes the “Toch” facade will be lavished the same attention to historic and stylistic detail as this Karl Fischer masterpiece on Richardson Street.

Or this, his latest turd, 200 Franklin Street.

Both of the previous abominations were built by virtue of “modification” permits that are doled out New York City’s very own Department of Buildings regularly. Slapping obnoxious residential towers atop industrial properties is Karl’s forte. He is a one man race to the bottom.

This is what happens when developers run your city.

Miss Heather

Cheapshit, Queens Crap and I should do a bi-coastal critique of condo crap. It could be fun.

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Reader Contribution Du Jour: 305 Lofts Redux

March 13, 2009 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic

Some of you might have noticed I have been having a lot of fun with the Loft 305 this week. Well, the party found its way to my inbox. An anonymous tipster writes: