Brooklyn Hipster Artists Almost Finished Getting Rid of Tenants

The long-running saga of a building on Bergen Street in Prospect Heights owned by some successful artists who've been working hard to clear the building of its rent-stabilized tenants is winding down. There has been controversy and protests, but the building is now down to a handful of people and eviction proceedings are underway. The entire sordid tale, sure to incite strong reaction depending on which side of the landlord-tenant divide one's sympathies fall, is detailed at length in this week's Village Voice. The "hipster landlords" plan to remodel the eight-unit building at 533 Bergen Street into a 20-room private residence. They've already forced out four rent-stabilized tenants under a law allowing eviction if the owners are moving in. Three market rate tenants are still there and there's now an eviction proceeding against a rent-stabilized tenant paying $402 a month. Her apartment will become a storage room for bikes and strollers. Oh, and a playroom for the landlord's little ones. Call it Economakis: Brooklyn Edition.
· A Hip Young Couple Clears Out Low-Rent Tenants [VV]
· Artists Evicting Tenants in Prospect Heights [GL]For more stories from Curbed, go to curbed.com.