Co-op of the Day: 130 St. Edwards Street

Ugh. I used to live not far from there, and I agree with other posters that NFW could you pay me to live there, much less invest. You’ll be comfortably nestled between the screaming tractor-trailer brakes on the BQE and the gunfights of the projects. I moved to Bed Stuy after and felt WAY safer – at least I was in a neighborhood, rather than the weird no-man’s land the developers have created here!

Kris, no need to apologize. Hey, they might’ve rejected us for those yuppie, etc reasons. but 1 thing for sure is it wasn’t for financial reasons. In hindsight, they did us a huge favor – huge favor. Now, we watch patiently for the mkt to pull back

Lechacal: We can swap horror stories. Not too long ago, a Park Avenue shopkeeper, a neighborhood fixture, was murdered in broad daylight in her store. One evening, I walked into a local grocer’s and found blood all over the threshold and a group of detectives investigating a hold up. I’ve been “rolled” twice in the past couple of years, right on the avenue, by groups of drunk teenagers. Living in one neighborhood in NYC rather than another carries no guarantees.

Sam: My point about race had to do with discrimination — not people’s willingness to live in diverse communities — and if this co-op’s board discriminates by race it’s acting against the law. And such discrimination isn’t limited to Manhattan. Recently, prospective Asian and Indian buyers brought complaints of discrimination against middle-class co-ops in Jackson Heights where, although the neighborhood is among the most multi-racial in the city, these buildings rejected non-white applicants.

Kris: Brooklyn in the 50s and 60s was in the midst of “white flight”, gang wars, and race riots. Mitchell-Lama and Title I projects like the one posted today — and Concord Village, University Towers, University Terrace, Willoughby Walk, etc. — were perceived, temporarily at least, as safe havens for middle-class families who stayed in Brooklyn. And the neighborhoods that surrounded them were considered rougher than they are today.

NOP

I disagree. It is true that most buildings won’t discriminate in these ways, but some will. There are a lot of co-op buildings out there. Obviously, people will not openly say things like, “Let’s reject them because they are black and I do not like black people.” It will obviously be more subtle than that, as racism usually is.

A reason need not even be given for the individual “no” vote from a board member. If one is offered, it might be something more along the lines of, “he doesn’t seem trustworthy,” or “something’s fishy about their application,” or “He was dressed like a slob” or “I just don’t think they are a good match for this building.”

In the case of the actual building mentioned in this thread, I suspect it is white people who are being rejected… so maybe it’s more like “they don’t fit in with the neighborhood.” Or “they are yuppies” or “they seem like pompus, entitled asshats. Did you get a load of that little dog in her purse?”