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CB1 Committees Support Rector Pl. Tenants The tenants of 333 Rector Pl., who are slowly being pushed out of their building, gained the support of two Community Board 1 committees on June 5 when they unanimously approved a resolution demanding that Buttonwood Real Estate, the new owners of the Battery Park City building, cease evicting tenants and offer them an opportunity to buy their units. The resolution, which also calls upon elected officials to intervene, goes before the full board on June 19. When the developer bought the rental building in March, reportedly for a condo conversion, many tenants thought this might be their chance to buy. After all, Buttonwood president Andrew Heiberger had been quoted in the Battery Park City Broadsheet as saying that tenants could buy their units, and at a discount. But now residents say there have been no such offers, and the owner is availing himself of a clause in many leases that allows him to terminate those leases with 60-days notice. “I would be very interested in purchasing if given the chance,” said Susan Barry, a four-year resident of the building. She did receive a six-month renewal of her lease, which expired in May, but it includes a more than 20 percent rent increase. “I got an incentive from the LMDC (Lower Manhattan Development Corporation) to move into this neighborhood,” she said, “and now I feel like I’m getting kicked out.” Heiberger would not comment, but a Buttonwood spokesman who did not want to be named said the owner had not decided whether the building would be converted to condos or luxury rentals. He would not comment on Heiberger’s quote about discounted units for tenants. “The only thing that has been finalized is that there’s going to be a major renovation and upgrade of the property beginning this fall,” he said. This is no comfort to many residents, including one who was in the middle of moving to a new apartment in Millennium Towers when he spoke to the Trib late last month. “I’m going crazy with this move,” said the seven-year tenant, who did not want to be identified. “I just panicked. It doesn’t seem legal that they can just come in and throw everybody out.” He said he had signed a new lease at the building in March. It included a 60-day eviction clause, which he says he didn’t take seriously until the notice arrived. The committees’ resolution alleges that by evicting tenants like this man, Heiberger is exploiting a loophole in the Martin Act, a state law with strong protections for tenants. The law does not technically take effect until the owner has filed a conversion plan with the State Attorney General, which Heiberger has not done. The building may well be empty by the time he does. “We’re losing people so quickly,” Susan Barry told board members at the meeting. She was one of nearly 20 residents who attended. “It’s completely to the owner’s advantage to get rid of us.” For many residents, what they want now more than anything is a chance to speak their mind. “We just want a dialogue,” said Lorraine Schaffer, who moved to the building after losing her previous home on Sept. 11, 2001. “I don’t understand why he can’t communicate with us.” Members of the newly formed tenants association have requested a meeting with Heiberger, but say they’ve received no response. Regarding the possibility of a meeting, the Buttonwood spokesman would only say, “We respect all leases and abide by the law, and we expect all tenants to do the same.”
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