Braverman Greenspun has initiated a lawsuit on behalf of the boards of managers of 1 Northside Piers Condominium, 2 Northside Piers Condominium and the Edge 11211 Condominium against the City of New York based on the NYC Parks Dept.’s long-standing failure to maintain the North 5th Street Pier and Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In the complaint, filed on September 30, 2020 in New York County Supreme Court, the boards – representing a combined 807 units – seek to recover over $2 million in total annual fees paid to the Parks Dept. pursuant to two maintenance agreements with the City, and to compel the Parks Dept. to provide the maintenance, repair, and security services for which it is solely responsible under the agreements.
For several years, however, the Parks Dept. has failed to perform, allowing the park and piers to fall into a state of complete disrepair, overridden with crime and unlawful activities. The complaint outlines a pattern of neglect by the City: an ongoing rat infestation, failure to remove garbage, replace lightbulbs, or repair broken lights, benches, and concrete pavers and railings along pathways and piers. In addition to these openly hazardous conditions, the Parks Dept. also failed to provide the promised 24-7 security services, including over the summer, when the piers were allegedly overtaken by after-hours parties and other unlawful activities.
After years of failed efforts to resolve these issues directly with the Parks Dept. officials, the boards had no choice but to turn to the courts to enforce the terms of the agreements. This litigation is led by Rob Braverman and Joseph Goljan and was recently featured in articles appearing in The Real Deal and AMNY: