“You seem unfamiliar with “RENT CONTROL”
in the neighborhood.”
Rent Control essentailly no longer exists in NYC. I am no longer versed in the details, but rent control was superseded by rent subidized in 1971. There are very few buildings that still fall under “rent control” As the person you were responding to is correct. This neighborhood is the $3,000 per unit neighborhood.
Once someone moves out of a RC building the status becomes rent subsidized. And that can be removed with renovation as I recall.
From the little online research I did the building was vacant and undergoing extensive renovation.
Rent Controlled apartments still DO EXIST in NYC.
Original RC tenants have figured out how to scam the system and now their grandchildren live in those apartments.
As to your statement of $3000 units, there would be two or three of those in a brownstone building, if the landlord is lucky. Those apartments carry the weight of paying the heating fuel and water bills for the $200 RC apartments.
BTW, in order to receive a high rent, it takes years and major renovations (+/- $40.000) to an apartment before the Dept of Housing would allow a landlord to charge $3000 & up for an apartment. Decontrolling an apartment is not cheap nor easy. Ever deal with bureaucrazy?