DISTRICT OFFICE: CHAIR

101 LAFAYETTE ST., 103 AGING

NEW YORK, NY 10013
212-587-3159 COMMITTEES
FAX: (212) 587-3158
THE COUNCIL OF HOUSING AND BUILDINGS
CONSUMER AFFAIRS
CITY HALL OFFICE: THE CITY OF NEW YORK RULES, PRIVILEGES, AND ELECTIONS
250 BROADWAY, SUITE 1882 STANDARDS AND ETHICS
NEW YORK, NY 10007
(212) 788-7259
MARGARET S. CHIN YOUTH SERVICES

COUNCIL MEMBER, 1 DISTRICT, MANHATTAN

ST

January 30, 2018

Joseph Betesh
Bowery 8385 LLC
New York, NY 10002

Dear Mr. Betesh,

I write today in response to your letter dated January 26, 2018, regarding ongoing structural repairs at 85
Bowery, which have caused severe financial and emotional distress for numerous displaced families.

Since you have stated that repairs will extend beyond the February 1st deadline set by the NYC Department of
Buildings (DOB), I demand relief for dozens of tenants who have been displaced from their homes since a
court-ordered inspection determined that the building's structural integrity posed substantial life-safety hazards.

For more than a week, tenants have been housed at a hotel in Brooklyn – far from their schools, workplaces and
senior centers. This situation means that tenants who have been traumatized by the sudden loss of their homes
have been forced to travel long distances and incur daily costs as they struggle to go about their normal lives.

Due to the unreliability of public transportation options, many guardians have had to resort to using their own
resources to ensure young children do not miss school. For one displaced family, that means a grandmother
must now take a car service to and from Brooklyn to bring her 4-year-old granddaughter to pre-school in
Chinatown.

In your letter, you stated that work to safely remove and replace the building’s stairwell “will require additional
time beyond February 1.” With no specific date provided for the conclusion of city-ordered repairs, it is clear
that this period of dislocation will last for an extended period of time.

It is unacceptable to have residents, through no fault of their own, continue to pay for the consequences of
having their lives uprooted and disrupted. As necessary repairs continue, tenants deserve to have a safe,
comfortable place in proximity to their children’s schools, their workplaces and their communities.

I urge you to make immediate arrangements to cover hotel accommodations in Lower Manhattan for all
displaced tenants for the duration of repairs.

If you require additional information, please reach out to Paul Leonard, my Chief of Staff, at (212) 788-7259 or
pleonard@council.nyc.gov. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Margaret S. Chin
Council Member, District 1