GVSHP has long contended that the Trump SoHo 'Condo-Hotel' was merely a trojan horse for illegal residential uses
Dear Friend,
GVSHP has long contended that the Trump SoHo 'Condo-Hotel' was merely a trojan horse for illegal residential uses, and should never have been allowed by the city. That is why we are supporting the SoHo Alliance's lawsuit to have the permits rescinded. In this week's New York Magazine, writer Michael Idov poses as prospective buyer through the Trump website, and is directed on how to get around the supposed prohibitions against residential uses:
When I started getting whiny because I said I wanted to spend "autumns" in New York and that the 29-day rule bugged me, she began by suggesting that I could move to another unit for a week, for which I'd be charged the lowest possible rate (while my own room is possibly being rented out at a regular rate-profit!), then triumphantly switch back for another 29 days. I wasn't sold. Then Sandra suggested a loophole. "If you buy in your name, the use is limited to you, your spouse, and your closest relative. But if you buy in the name of a corporation, you can check in and out colleagues, employees, clients."
This is EXACTLY the kind of potential dodge around the supposed "prohibitions" against illegal uses in the city's "restrictive declaration" with Trump that GVSHP, the SoHo Alliance, and others have cited from the beginning, though many in government continue to defend the "restrictive declaration," and the City continues to fight in court to protect the Trump project. GVSHP is working with the SoHo Alliance to ensure that this further evidence is considered before a decision is expected in the legal challenge in early May.
Andrew Berman, Executive Director
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
212/475-9585 x38
232
East 11th Street
New York, NY 10003
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