ANY COMMENTS ON AXTON OR THE GRENADIER REALTY CORP???

any feedbck would be great,.. thanks!

Do not move into this blding. It is a nightmare

JB: do you care to elaborate?

Citihabitat broker adam aguierre brought me to building. He and axton/grenadier realty rep said building was luxury doorman building. They lied. This buiklding until a year ago was a subsided housing project. My next door neighbors are section a welfare folks. The others on my floor and rest building pay 400-800 for apts. I pay 2180 for studio. Major socio econ issues. Doormen?? Regularly let people up unannouced. When I needed a piece of paper doorman said management doesn't provide paper so he took a piece out of the garbage for me. People routinely spit in elevator. People on my floor slam doors and routinely scream and shoot in halls.when I said something to neighbor re open door with blaring music which woke me up on sun at 8 she treatened to hit me. The slang was so thick I had to ask her to repeat it .I don't feel safe in blding. I haven't gotten to the worst part. My floor faces a courtyard in the back. It is essentially one flight up. Before I signed a lease I asked the broker and axton rep Gloria if anyone other than blding personal had access to courtyard. Over and over I was told no one has access. I explained to broker and axton rep that I was concerned re security and quiet. I said if anyone had access I would not be interested in apt. I said this in front witness. Within first week cigarrete smoke in the middle of the night would come into my apt. I would look out to see a man smoking under my window. This happened several times. Grenedier head eddid fontenez and jillian would reassure me not happen. Again they repeatedly said that no one is allowed in courtyard. Then one sat I came home to unbelievably loud music. My apt was literally vibrating. There were at least 40 people outside in courtyard directly under my window yelling smoking drinking. I asked the front desk and security to deal w situation. I was told there is a community room below my apt. That people rent it out wkly and they are allowed outside and can play music as loud as want till 12am. Actually this went on way past 1.00 since no one did anything. I called eddie fontenez of grenedier now she sang a different tune. Yes people are allowed in courtyard barely a flight below window. Yes people can play music as they wish. No blding personal do not monitor situation or when people do or do not leave. This has continued on a wkly basis. Ciggarette smoke comes into apt. Apt vibrates. People-most of whom don't even live in building party and disturb my quiet enjoyment of apt. Eddie fontenez is the biggest lier I have ever dealt with. She is not about fixing problems she is about doing nothing for people who live in subsaided blding. the security people are not people who deal with keeping tenants safe from outside. They are people who are suppose to deal with the bad apples in building think prOoooojects. Think low lives. Think of grenediar not as company managing upscale building absolute nightmare.sure the apts are renovated but I suggest you run and I mean run the other way. Also, don't believe what brokers or axton grenedier rep say they just lie. There is more but I just can't keep going all very upsetting

Citihabitat broker adam aguierre brought me to building. He and axton/grenadier realty rep said building was luxury doorman building. They lied. This buiklding until a year ago was a subsided housing project. My next door neighbors are section a welfare folks. The others on my floor and rest building pay 400-800 for apts. I pay 2180 for studio. Major socio econ issues. Doormen?? Regularly let people up unannouced. When I needed a piece of paper doorman said management doesn't provide paper so he took a piece out of the garbage for me. People routinely spit in elevator. People on my floor slam doors and routinely scream and shoot in halls.when I said something to neighbor re open door with blaring music which woke me up on sun at 8 she treatened to hit me. The slang was so thick I had to ask her to repeat it .I don't feel safe in blding. I haven't gotten to the worst part. My floor faces a courtyard in the back. It is essentially one flight up. Before I signed a lease I asked the broker and axton rep Gloria if anyone other than blding personal had access to courtyard. Over and over I was told no one has access. I explained to broker and axton rep that I was concerned re security and quiet. I said if anyone had access I would not be interested in apt. I said this in front witness. Within first week cigarrete smoke in the middle of the night would come into my apt. I would look out to see a man smoking under my window. This happened several times. Grenedier head eddid fontenez and jillian would reassure me not happen. Again they repeatedly said that no one is allowed in courtyard. Then one sat I came home to unbelievably loud music. My apt was literally vibrating. There were at least 40 people outside in courtyard directly under my window yelling smoking drinking. I asked the front desk and security to deal w situation. I was told there is a community room below my apt. That people rent it out wkly and they are allowed outside and can play music as loud as want till 12am. Actually this went on way past 1.00 since no one did anything. I called eddie fontenez of grenedier now she sang a different tune. Yes people are allowed in courtyard barely a flight below window. Yes people can play music as they wish. No blding personal do not monitor situation or when people do or do not leave. This has continued on a wkly basis. Ciggarette smoke comes into apt. Apt vibrates. People-most of whom don't even live in building party and disturb my quiet enjoyment of apt. Eddie fontenez is the biggest lier I have ever dealt with. She is not about fixing problems she is about doing nothing for people who live in subsaided blding. the security people are not people who deal with keeping tenants safe from outside. They are people who are suppose to deal with the bad apples in building think prOoooojects. Think low lives. Think of grenediar not as company managing upscale building absolute nightmare.sure the apts are renovated but I suggest you run and I mean run the other way. Also, don't believe what brokers or axton grenedier rep say they just lie. There is more but I just can't keep going all very upsetting

WHICH BUILDING ARE YOU IN???????????? WE'RE LOOKING AT 733 AMSTERDAM,........

That is the building

but their courtyard is closed- when did this happen, with the loud party???????????

They say the courtyard is closed. They are lying and know it. Every sat night

thanks so much for your input, i'm so sorry for your ordeal!!

I have lived in The Axton, formerly The New Amsterdam, for 34 yrs. First let me clear up a few areas. This is a former Mitchell-Lama building, built for MIDDLE INCOME and MODERATE INCOME families. We came out of the program and became a private, market rate building.

Although our apartments have not been renovated as JB’s has, there is a multitude of long term tenants here that pay close to market rents far beyond $500- $800 due to their incomes while under M-L, and we have been and will continue to pay additional increases every year or two because we are now rent stabilized tenants. JB is not under rent stabilization and JB’s rent is not affected. We are familiar with this tenancy, and there is a very, very small group of tenants that have been causing all the problems in this entire building.

You may be surprised to know these tenants are not on ‘welfare’, and their guests have been allowed (management will not sanction these tenants) to do as they will in our building. We have a few tenants receiving Section 8 or SCRIE for the elderly. These tenants are NOT THE PROBLEM. Please do not automatically equate a subsidized tenant with low lifes. The ‘LOW LIFES’ JB complains about is a complaint we hear from tenant groups residing in all of the so called ‘luxury’ housing here on the Upper West Side. With most residential buildings in New York City, including new construction, there is the 80-20 ratio to allow individuals, who would not otherwise be able to afford the astronomical rents, the ability to have decent housing for themselves and/or families.

The type of people JB refers to would be a problem no matter how much money they have, it’s a personality type. Make no mistake JB is totally correct in the assessment of the critical issues we face, We have long been and are currently in legal battles fighting our real problem, this building’s owner and management. The appalling problems of management’s total inaction and lack of response to crucial tenant concerns, quality of life issues, ongoing complaints regarding problem- tenants, lack of proper and superior security protocol, allowing non-tenants use and rental of the community room and courtyard. Management refuses to take responsibility to manage this building properly and well. This is a problem for all Grenadier managed buildings.

We have been fighting a hard and tough battle for a long time. My suggestion is for JB get to please get on board with the multitude of concerned and caring majority of our tenant body and come to our tenant meetings, let us know what are your problems, join us in our efforts and fight to maintain our residential community as a place to be proud of, a comfortable, clean, safe and secure environment. If you live here it will take work.

ATA - thank you very much for your response.

I know about the Axton and seriously question whether or not Axton/Grenadier raised the rents for new (non rent stabilized) tenants legally. There is a formula for raising the rents to market rate (over $2,000 per month) and I seriously wonder if the management met those guidelines. You (JB) and other market rate tenants should seek the guidelines from the NY Attorney General's office and then check with the appropriate city or state agency (based on the guidelines) to see if in fact the rent you are paying is legal.
You may be seriously over charged for your apartment.

I also am a long time tenant at THE AXTON, since it opened 1971, to hear JB’s complaints and what JB is experiencing is appalling. Unfortunately the floor JB lives on is the floor where the police have been called numerous times, tenants have complained about the activities going on all times of day and night. Since the building has undergone extensive renovations, that floor is plagued with graffiti and defacement in the public areas and hallway, constant noise and disturbance etc. Your floor does not even have a floor captain. We do not have this problem on the other floors.
Firstly, bad behavior is not restricted to poor ‘welfare’, economic level or certain ethnic types, referring to JB’s inference.
A subsidized SECTION 8 family I know that has lived here as long as I have, are hard working, (yes they are a working family) respectful individuals concerned with having a decent, clean, well run living environment in which to raise their families. As are the vast majority of tenants in this building.
JB’s COMPLAINING TO MANAGEMENT MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AND WILL GO NOWHERE.
We have been fighting management and the landlord ever since we became a private building.
They have been trying to drive out long term tenants with outrageous frivolous law suits, holdovers claiming these apartments are not primary residences of the tenant, so-called illegal sub-lets, reducing building services etc. (What JB is experiencing is intentional by management) Management removed the tenant association drop box and bulletin board to restrict communication with tenants. You name it. No trick has gone untried.
Kudos to our forceful Tenants Association that has been fighting back full force with two current legal actions against the landlord and management, in addition to reduction of services and harassment complaints pending hearings with DHCR.
JB needs to take JB’s complaint to the tenant association that will give teeth to the complaint and will be acted on.
JB cannot do it alone. JB get to know your concerned, active neighbors, come out of your isolation and get to know what’s really going on in this building.

JB you should really contact any member of 'ATA', the Axton Tenant Association. The contact info is on the newsletters or any one of the notices distributed to tenants.