AS YWN had reported [HERE], Maimonides Hospital (MMC) had agreed to meet with the Boro-Park West Community Association (BPW), to discuss the Hospital’s neighborhood development master plan. Local leaders are seriously concerned that the MMC’s recent acquisition of three properties in the heart of the residential area may lead to the destabilization of the community.
The following statement, written by BPW, was given to YWN this morning.:
At last Friday’s meeting with Maimonides Medical Center (MMC), a shocked delegation from the Boro-Park West Community Association (BPW) heard President Pamela S. Brier admit that she had a “mandate” from the Hospital’s Board of Trustees to purchase every available property in the vicinity of the Hospital.
Attending the meeting were a local delegation of Rabbonim: Satmar Dayan Rav Moshe Friedman, Rav Meir Simcha Bick, and Rabbi Gershon Tennenbaum.
Also, political leaders Assemblyman Dov Hikind, City Council Majority Leader
Bill De Blasio, and City Council (Boro Park) candidate Joe Lazar.
A surprise guest was Mayoral candidate Tony Avella of Queens, who is currently Chairman of the New York City Council Committee on Zoning, Buildings, and Franchises.
Rabbi William Handler gave a ten-minute briefing, in which he explained that MMC
acquired its high-quality brick two-family houses on 48th and 49th streets by hiring a real estate broker who used racial intimidation to terrorize residents into selling their homes to MMC. The Hospital expelled about 200 Orthodox Jewish families from the neighborhood.
President Brier apologized for the “unfortunate” tactics used to acquire these homes: “We’ve been a bad neighbor. But that was in the past. We cannot afford to give up these houses. We need to move on.”
Councilman Avello was surprised to hear President Brier state that the Hospital had no Master Plan for development: “In all of New York City, I have never seen a hospital that has no Master Plan. This is incredible.”
Dov Hikind and Bill De Blasio suggested that MMC make an inventory of all its existing real estate holdings in BPW, together with the purpose of each building, and meet with
leaders of BPW in June to discuss how the Hospital could work harmoniously with the community to be a “Good Neighbor.”
President Brier closed the meeting by stating that she would not do any construction on the Hospital’s newly-acquired buildings prior to the forthcoming meeting in June.
(Written for Yeshiva World News by BPW)
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13 Responses
What are the particulars of the purported terrorism by ”racial intimidation”?
Deleted..
Something here doesnt add up. My parents, as well as some others on the block (48th 9/10), lived there for 40 years or more and the hospital NEVER bothered or threatened them. Not only that, but we have recently put the house on the market as my parents have since both left this world. I spoke to someone at Maimonides recently and they are not even interested. go figure…
let BPW buy the houses instead. Let them have their family members treated in manhattan hospitals. The bottom line is that MMC must expand.
To Workingman (no. 3):
Maimonides did not do the dirty work themselves. They kept their hands clean.
All the nasty stuff was done by Four-Star Realty. They solicited the houses from the homeowners, without identifying their real buyer.
So, technically, you’re right. “Maimonides” did not talk to anyone.
After the houses were purchased by a dummy corporation, they were transferred as a block to Maimonides, who owns them today.
BPW, here’s your chance. 2 family house for sale on 48th off 9th avenue. Since I am not in Brooklyn much lately, you can get all info from my agent; Rachel Ingenito at Century 21 Mizrahi. 718-998-5700.
to workingman (no. 6):
Thank you for the tip. I will pass it on.
However, please be aware that the house is now on a block that is a “ghost town.” Almost all the houses are Maimonides offices that are abandoned at night, since everyone goes home after office hours.
How would you like to live on a block that is full of Hospital traffic by day and totally empty of people at night.
It’s a tough sell, unless Maimonides agrees to sell all their houses back to the community (not an impossibility).
Why dont they just take 3 or 4 properties and knock them down and build a large office building that could hold all those offices,and then sell all the rest of the houses back to the community.
To “deepthinker” (No. 5):
You’re obviously not what you’re name implies. If you would bother doing a little research, instead DELETED, you would realize that almost all the deeds for the houses on 48th & 49th Streets went from the Seller(s) directly to “Maimonides Medical Center”. (Check ACRIS on the NYC web site) Since when is Maimonides considered a “dummy corporation”? I also have personal knowledge that all homes that Maimonides bought for its own use was paid for above and beyond the market value of the homes in that area at that time. Before you start besmerching someone’s reputation, maybe you should be a little “choker v’doresh” into the facts instead of being “motzei shem rah” for the fun of it.
DEAR CHUTZPANIK (NO. 9):
Since you’re so good at searching the ACRIS system, check out the dummy corporation yourself.
The name of the dummy corporation is TENMAIN FOUNDATION, and they bought the houses and then tranferred them to Maimonides.
The broker threatened to put underclass people on the block, if the owners did’t sell.
by the way, the house for sale has – for all intents and purposes – a private driveway. the hospital owns the house next door and has fenced it off in the back. they have not used it in more than 20 years.
It is the frum community who are buying up all the available land and building 3-4 level homes. Because of this many homes have been inhabited by rats, mice and other rodents. On 50-51 Streets alone, 5 new homes have gone up and many parking spots are no longer available because of new driveways that were not there before. We all use the hospital for life and death we should not blame them for making the neighborhood safe. MMC cleans up it’s buildings. I can not say that for many families whose children throw trash on the streets to let “G-d take it away”. I have lived in Boro Park for 30 years. It has never looked like this with 3-4 level(homes with built in driveways) crammed in to any available space. That is not neighborhood beautification.BPW was also not as chasidish years ago. People would not have formed groups to oust MMC.
Dear milchig (no. 12):
Since you’re so much in love with the Hospital, why not contact “Workingman” (no. 6) and buy his home, which is located right next to the Hospital.
Good luck!