The residents of 47 East 3rd Street, after a five-year losing battle to keep their homes, may at least get some karmic revenge.
"You are looking at a personal residence," State Senator Daniel Squadron said yesterday of the five-story, red-brick tenement behind him, in kicking off a drive to limit the practice of "owner-occupancy" evictions. "It is such a blatant violation of the spirit of the law."
In December, the nine remaining tenants accepted a settlement of $75,000 each to leave the building by the end of August, after a high-profile fight that took them to the highest court in the state and racked up hundreds of thousands in legal fees. Owners Catherine and Alistair Economakis began evicting tenants in 2003 under a provision that allows landlords to claim as many rent-regulated apartments as they like for "personal use." read more »
