QUEENS — A cultural center which moved to downtown Jamaica only last December has to look for a new space again, following a dispute with the landlord which erupted when the group learned it was ineligible to receive several grants because the building does not have the necessary paperwork, they said.
The Latin American Intercultural Alliance, founded in 2005, moved to 148-15 Archer Ave., near the Jamaica AirTrain station, from Elmhurst after the group realized that Southeast Queens lacks organizations serving Latino communities, the group said.
But according to Ruben Cruz, the assistant director at LAIA, the building, which LAIA shares with several other tenants, including a Salvation Army thrift store, does not have a Certificate of Occupancy, a document showing that the structure is in compliance with building codes and is suitable for occupancy.
As it turned out, the certificate was also necessary to receive various city and state grants for programs to be held at the space, the group and local elected officials said.
"We accepted this place with no Certificate of Occupancy because honestly I didn’t know what the significance was of it as far as us getting funding," said Cruz.
The certificate does not appear on grant application forms, but is often part of reviews conducted by organizations and officials allocating funds, according to the group and elected officials.
LAIA, which offers 23 classes, including jewelry making, writing, yoga, tai chi, Zumba and theater, then stopped paying its $6,500-a-month rent which in turn led the landlord to take them to court, the group said.
On Wednesday, the group decided to settle the case to avoid further legal costs, Cruz said.
“We have to move in two months, but there are no fees associated with it, no back rent and we might even get our security deposit back, which is around $13,000," he said Thursday morning. "It will give us an opportunity to start over."
Photo: DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska
It was not immediately clear why the landlord did not obtain the Certificate of Occupancy.
According to city records, the building was first constructed in the 1970s as a factory.
In 1998, the owners were issued a permit to change the use of the building's first floor to accommodate stores and offices, according to the Department of Buildings.
When the work was finished, the DOB conducted its construction inspection for the new use.
But the owners later failed to complete the required steps to obtain the Certificate of Occupancy, such as scheduling sign-off inspections with the DOB and verifying the tax lot with the Department of Finance, the DOB said.
Although occupancy of a building without a valid certificate could result in a violation, the DOB has not received any complaints, nor issued any recent violations at the property, the agency said.
The landlord — Long Island City-based Bel-Site Realty — did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Cruz said the group is now looking for a new space, eyeing several options in Richmond Hill, as well as in Cypress Hills.
