Press Release + List of Demands
Brooklyn Residents Issue List of Demands to the City of New York Calling for Accountability Following Dangler Mansion Demolition.
Bed-Stuy residents were put in danger in July when developer Tomer Erlich of Brooklyn 360 Realty violently and recklessly demolished a beloved 120-year-old building after the Landmarks Preservation Commission and New York City Department of Buildings let the landmarking process slip through the cracks.
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK NOVEMBER 17, 2022 – Following a successful rally on October 15th, community members of Bed-Stuy near the now-demolished Dangler Mansion have compiled a list of demands directed towards the Landmarks Preservation Commission (“LPC''), the New York City Department of Buildings (“DOB''), the Mayor’s Office, and the developer Tomer Erlich. The list addresses many of the problems brought to light throughout the attempted landmarking, reckless demolition, and aftermath. The group hopes the changes they are demanding will ensure other communities and landmarks will not have to face the same fate.
At the July 12th LPC hearing regarding the landmarking of the 120-year-old Dangler Mansion, 19 people testified in favor of landmarking (including a 90-year-old resident who commuted into Manhattan from Brooklyn to give her testimony in person) and more than 70 people wrote in letters of support. Despite unprecedented and overwhelming support, the LPC failed to landmark the building in time, allowing a DOB-issued stop work order to run out by just two days, triggering the demolition.
Although it is unclear whether the LPC’s behavior is malicious or negligent, we do know that the LPC has refused to respond to community organizers who have been reaching out weekly since July. The community as a whole – including elected officials, neighbors, and preservation advocates – feel spurned by the lack of transparency. Such actions do not alleviate the community’s lack of trust in the LPC and the landmarking process. Although the LPC has failed to respond to community members and advocates, Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests have uncovered evidence that the LPC does respond to the developer Tomer Erlich in a timely manner, and has even scheduled frequent meetings with him.
Despite community outcry to 311 and the DOB, the DOB still failed to protect the community from the reckless demolition in July. The Justice for 441 Willoughby advocates believe this is due to the fact that the DOB is currently set up in a way in which they are trusted to oversee and enforce regulations internally, creating little pressure for accountability. Although the 40 day pause on the demolition permit had indeed ended by the time the demolition began, the developer neglected to adhere to a comprehensive demolition plan drafted by Peter Stroh and Stroh Engineering Services. When neighbors noticed crews onsite the morning of July 21 they immediately called 311. The DOB responded to the panicked calls, performed a quick assessment, and left after workers scrambled to put the site in compliance with their limited demolition permit. When community members gathered to protest, workers rented a bulldozer from across the street and began their demolition despite lacking the proper permits for such equipment. Smoke covered the streets and debris was knocked into yards of neighbors. Demolition proceeded immediately after DOB departure, when a Full Stop Work Order was issued. By then, the building was completely destroyed. This pattern lasted weeks until the building was completely gone. Throughout the process, Tomer Erlich accrued over $106,500 in fines, 13 citations, and 89 complaints without the DOB successfully stopping the demolition or enforcing its safe completion.
Tomer Erlich’s proposed building plan is a 44-unit 7-story high rise building. Plans include 30% ‘affordable’ housing that Erlich intends on listing at $2,100/month for a Studio unit in a neighborhood where the average household income is ~ $68,000. These figures are also based on 2022 prices and will likely increase. Other residents of Erlich’s buildings wrote to Councilmember Chi Osse’s office testifying to the poor living conditions and tenant harassment they have experienced living in his buildings. Given this poor standard of business, Justice for 441 Willoughby, on behalf of community leaders in the area, have appealed to the Attorney General Letitia James to prohibit the sale of 441 Willoughby to Erlich and to investigate his other real estate dealings in the community.
Backing from electeds State Senator Jabari Brisport, City Councilmember Chi Ossé, and Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman has been consistent in the movement, boosted by strong community support and even a testimony from actor Ed Norton. The movement has gotten coverage in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, but the community members and advocates hope to use all this momentum to create real legislative change through their list of demands.
Below is the list of demands from the community members.
Tomer Erlich, associates, or affiliated anonymous LLCs, (“Tomer Erlich et al”) must NOT be permitted to build at 441 Willoughby Ave.
Tomer Erlich et al must be banned from obtaining any demolition permits in the state of New York
ANY building on the site of 441 Willoughby Avenue must require community approval
The LPC must landmark Willoughby Ave between Nostrand Ave and Marcy Ave for their contiguous brownstones’ high architectural integrity and historical relationship to the rest of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. On Willoughby Ave, the sense of place is heightened by the strong sense of community, including many families that have owned their homes for generations.
The City must create a community land trust at 441 Willoughby Ave.
Sarah Carroll must resign from her post at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, as well as additional career Landmarks employees involved in the oversight at 441: Mark Silberman, General Counsel for LPC, and Lisa Kersavage, Executive Director at LPC.
The NYC Government must overhaul and reform the Landmarks Preservation Commission in order to ensure adequate accountability.
NYC Government must break up the Department of Buildings into multiple departments, as the DOB cannot be trusted to oversee safety, compliance, and enforcement.
City Hall must answer to the community and provide a thorough admission regarding their culpability.
Tomer Erlich must rebuild the Jacob Dangler Mansion at 441 Willoughby Ave brick by brick.
Below are a series of statements from local officials, advocates, and current tenants.
“There is no doubt that New York City, and this neighborhood in particular, face an acute housing crisis…We need to build more housing. The opaque tactics the developer, Tomer Erlich of 360 Brooklyn, LLC., used in this case mirror those used across the city, and prove that most are not good-faith partners in addressing this need.”– Chi Ossé, New York City Councilmemer
“Whether Tomer Erlich's misdeeds are fueled by negligence or malevolent intent, he clearly displays that he has little concern for his tenants and the communities he develops within. The sidewalk in front of our building would be in shambles if we didn't volunteer our time to shovel snow and ice when he fails to send his staff or clear litter and debris, sometimes left by his own workers. Any promises of considering the people of Bed Stuy, specifically the neighbors of 441 Willoughby, should not be trusted. Given that this lot he wants to develop is a beloved and large stretch of the street corner, I do not have confidence he will invest care into upholding its appearance or safety. He will cut corners in constructing and maintaining an ugly building that ruins the historic beauty of the neighborhood and his tenants will inevitably be harmed physically, mentally, and financially. Thank you for reading my testimony and I hope you do what is in your power to prevent this man from further development in our communities.” – Testimony from current tenant against Tomer Erlich
“As a person he [Tomer] has proven himself to be unethical, hateful, and violent towards the community. During meetings he has laughed in the faces of longtime community members distraught over the demolition of a community staple and during the reckless demolition he got physical. I was shoved by Tomer for trying to stop him from illegally using city water during the demolition. As a developer, his track record is even worse. He’s known for building dangerous poorly built housing and neglecting tenants, ignoring their health and safety. Tomer Erlich has no place in our community.” – Becca Abellera, Bed-Stuy Resident
Justice must be served. Accountability must be taken. The atrocious attack on our community's beloved crown jewel has left our neighborhood and our hearts with a gaping wound. The developer is merely one face of this multi-level corruption. From the questionable mortgages within The Eastern Star, to the blatant lies from LPC and most recently, the violation fines settlement without a hearing, these developers and the people in their pockets have proven they have ZERO REGARD for anything other than money. I urge you to delay this sale until more information can come to light and to make an example of these unscrupulous organizations.
– Lauren Cawdrey, Local Small Business Owner, Block Association VP of the Willoughby Nostrand Block Association
“Tomer Erlich’s business is a churning machine, and he doesn’t care about the buildings he knocks down or the ones he builds because he never intends to own anything long-term. He has made himself a millionaire by maintaining this tempo of destroying, dismantling, offensively replacing, and then quickly relinquishing to vultures the land ownership and the historic buildings of Bed-Stuy, while flouting rules that are poorly enforced and easily corruptible. I urge those with any authority to do so to stop Tomer Erlich’s development at 441 Willoughby Avenue for the safety, security, and quality of life of our community.” – Jules Bartkowski, Willoughby Ave Resident
“He [Tomer] met with community members weeks before in front of 441 Willoughby. He stood before us and heard direct testimony about what the building meant to the people of Bedford Stuyvesant. But we should have known that Mr. Erlich didn't quite understand the need for community space and he didn't understand what community meant. At one point in the conversation, he was asked hypothetically about providing space in his new development. "How about 1,000 sq ft?" he said. The crowd groaned. In his mind one thousand square feet was enough for community space. “ – Sekiya Dorsett, Local Documentary Filmmaker and Director of I Love Bed-Stuy
About JusticeFor441Willoughby
Justice for 441 Willoughby is a group of Bed-Stuy community members that move in solidarity with longtime Bed-Stuy residents and neighbors.
About the Landmarks Preservation Commission
The LPC is a government body made up of 11 commissioners appointed by the Mayor. According to their website, the LPC’s mission is to “protect New York City’s architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites by granting them landmark historic district status, and regulating them after designation” although the commission has been plagued by controversy and allegations of mismanagement and neglectfulness.
About the Jacob Dangler Mansion
The Jacob Dangler Mansion was a 120-year-old French-Gothic building at the corner of Willoughby and Nostrand Avenues that served initially as a single family home but evolved into a community staple in Bed-Stuy where parties, Scout meetings, weddings, and all sorts of community gatherings occurred for decades.
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