Let Williamsburgers Take Back Williamsburg

Last year, predicting a glut of new Williamsburg condos, some fellas with a dream launched the "Williamsburg Buyback" campaign, in which they hoped to mobilize like-minded members of the Williamsburg creative class and buy apartments in bulk from developers at a steep discount.

It didn't work.

This year, they're trying again, only now the Williamsburg Buyback is now targeting rentals (Williamsburg Rentback is kind of an awkward name). The Brooklyn Paper checks in with how the mission is going, and according to founding member Zev Eisenberg, there are some nibbles:

“You can’t really go up to a landlord and say, ‘Hey, can I get a deal?’ — but when I tell these guys I can fill their building in a week, they get a bit more interested,” said Eisenberg, who was a part of an earlier incarnation of the group that attempted, but failed, to purchase Williamsburg condos units at discounted rates two years ago.

Interest, unfortunately, hasn't yet led to results: "The Williamsburg Buyback has not reached any deals with developers, but the group claims to be involved in negotiations with four developers for building-wide rent cuts of $100 or more per month."

Copyright © 2009 Curbed

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