It’s an increasingly common story throughout New York: a previously forgotten neighborhood becomes trendy. then the developers move in and the rent-regulated tenants must deal with the inconvenience and disruption of “luxury renovation,” which is often little more than thinly disguised harassment. Probably the first neighborhood to experience this upheaval was SoHo in the 80’s. Now, a generation later, it is still going on, as the few remaining middle-class tenants fight to preserve the quiet enjoyment of their homes amidst developers’ voracious profit-taking, as exemplified by the plight of David’s clients, Michele Varian and Brad Roberts, in the New York Times.
This story, thankfully, has a happy ending as David fought for Michele and Brad to get their home back after living for months with a gaping hole in their floor and exposure to potentially toxic construction dust.
