Residents of Stuyvesant Town and nearby Peter Cooper Village hope to be in charge of their complex. (Flickr/Marianne O'Leary)By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association launched a massive petition drive this week to prove how serious they are about a tenants' bid to buy back their apartments at the foreclosed property.
The signatures from tenants, which are not legally binding, would give the Association the power to negotiate on the tenants’ behalf and express support for a plan that would give residents an option to buy or continue to rent their apartment at an affordable price.
“Being organized will be a key to victory — and we are already well on our way,” said Al Doyle, president of the Tenants Association in a statement on the association’s Web site. “Our position at the bargaining table is much stronger when we have our 25,000 residents united behind us.”
The petition also asked that before any sale is finalized, if it is not to the tenants themselves, the Tenants Association would have a chance to review the plan.
It was the latest step for the active association, which has been communicating with CW Capital, the company that controls the complex.
Last week, Doyle sent a letter to the CEO of CW Capital which said “the Tenants Association expects to play a constructive and key role in the restructuring of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village," according to the association's Web site.
The complex is for sale after Tishman-Speyer, the company that bought it for a record amount during the housing bubble, defaulted on its loan last month.
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