WestSide Heights HDFC Council

WestSide Heights HDFC Council

WestSide Heights

The catchment area of the WestSide Heights HDFC Council includes, Community Boards, 7, 9 and 12and the historic neighborhoods of Manhattan Valley, Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights which includes Sugar Hill and Vinegar Hill, Audobon Terrace, Washington Heights which includes Ft. Washington, and Inwood.

There are approximately 300 Housing Development Fund Cooperatives in the area and another 45 TIL buildings in the process of becoming HDFCs.

HDFC Central Forum

The City-wide HDFC Council has established am internet forum for HDFCs and TIL buildings. Any HDFC shareholder or TIL associate may participate by registering.

As this is a private forum, upon registering an invitation will be issued to give access to the forum. These are very easy steps and only done once as after completing the registration each registered member will have unlimited access.

The forum can be found at: http://www.delphi.com/HDFCCentral

Links

HDFC Central Forum

About our association

The WestSide Heights HDFC Council

Established in 1994 the WestSide Heights HDFC Council serves the almost 300 Housing Development Fund Corporations (Cooperatives and not-for-profit rentals) within Community Planing Boards 7, 9 and 12 in Upper Manhattan.

Centrally located within the area of service, the WSHts HDFC Council has organized Tenant Associations in over 30 City-owned buildings sponsoring them into the Tenant Interim Lease (TIL) Program of the NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation & Development, Division of Alternative Management Programs.

During the tenants participation in the TIL Program they are given the opportunity to manage the building through their Tenant Association.

After an average of 5 years, the Building is gut-rehabilitated by the City and then sold to the Tenant Association for $250 per apartment.

Upon purchase of the building, it is converted into a limited-equity, income restricted Housing Development Fund Corporation cooperative.

Thus becoming, financially independent and a totally self-sufficient housing cooperative that pays property taxes and water and sewer charges to the City the same as every cooperative in the City.

During the years since its establishment the WestSide Heights HDFCC Council has freely assisted over 200 HDFCs in the catchment area.

The WestSide Heights HDFC Council is an affiliated local-area Chapter of The HDFC Council, the City-wide association of HDFC cooperatives which provides strong leadership for: MUTUAL ASSISTANCE * ADVOCACY * POLITICAL ACTION * EDUCATION * ECONOMY OF SCALE.

HDFCs Lead in Giving Power to the People.

The HDFC Council in partnership with EIS, Inc. has developed several electric energy saving projects.

The most successful has been the conversion of buildings from "direct" metered to "Master Metered/sub-Metered" configuration.

The result of this conversion has been savings as high as 25% for the apartments and public areas of the buildings so converted.

Hon. Rudy Giuliani Signs Local Law 44

On July 16, 2001, the Honorable Rudolph W. Giuliani. Mayor of the City of New York, signed into Law, Intro Bill 802 granting HDFCs and all other cooperatives and condominiums the priviledge of filing for J-51 Tax Abatement that will credit 80% of the conversion costs to Master Meterd/Sub-Metered by direct Metered buildings.

See picture inset above: standing left to right, Ms. Barbara Turkewitz, City Council Senior Analyst, Mr. Lewis M Kwit, President of EIS, Inc., Ms. Mary Ann Rothman, Executive Director of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominums and Jack Woolams, Esq., Vice President, EIS Inc.

seated left to right: Councilmember Madeline Provenzano representing the City Council Housing Committe Chair, the Hon. Archie Spigner, the Mayor of the City of New York, the Honorable Rudolph W. Giuliani and Jordi Reyes-Montblanc, President of The HDFC Council.

We thank EIS, Inc. President Mr. Lewis M Kwit, Vice President Jack Woolams, Esq. and Mr. John McBride Technical Director, EIS is one of the preeminent, award winning, energy consulting firm in New York City, their dedication, hard work and professionalism made it possible for this law to be enacted.

Introduced in City Council by the Chair of the Housing Committee, the Honorable Archie Spigner and senior member the Honrable Stanley (the Falcon) E. Michels, who has championed the cause of the HDFCs for many years, it was also co-sponsored by other 11 Councilmembers.

The City Council Speaker, The Honorable Peter Vallone provided great assitance and guidance to get this legislation passed against the opposition of the HPD J-51 division.

Special mention must be made of the help and assitance provided by Ms. Barbara Turkewits, The City Council Senior Analyst, whose guidance in navigating the laberynths of City Council made possible the success of getting this legislation passed.

The Public Service Commission gave also great support, encouragement and guidance in the persons of Mr. Paul Powers and Ms Shirley Anderson whose enthusiasm and testimony were crucial to passing this legislation.

The New York Energy Research & Development Authority not only supported this project with funding through EIS but in the person of Mr. Rick Girardi's personal efforts and testimony. Mr. Girardi heads the Residential Energy Affordability Program at NYSERDA.

Our good friend, colleague and fellow cooperator, Mr. Greg Carlson, Executive Director of the Federation of New York Housing Cooperatives testimony in City Council hearings was also essential to the passing of the law.

Of importance was also the testimony, presented with charm and authority by our good friend, colleague and fellow cooperator Ms. Mary Ann Rothman, Executive Director of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominums on whose Board of Directors our own Jordi Reyes-Montblanc currently serves.

Other important key supporters of this effort were Mr. Alan L. Thurgood, CEO of the 1st Rochdale Electric Cooperative, a friend, mentor and cooperator extraordinaire, responsible for getting Lewis Kwit and J. Reyes-Montblanc together, at the time Mr. Kwit was consulting in the organizing of 1st Rochdale, and Mr Thomas Johnson whose personal testimony was most appreciated and effective at City Council.

The support and encouragement of Mr. Ed Yaker, and Mr. Don West co-chairs of the Coordinating Council of Cooperatives, our friends, colleagues and fellow cooperators were always available and given unstingtly.

Thanks are also due to, Mr. Cufbert Edwards and the members of the Brooklyn HDFC & TIL Network for their presence and testimony at City Council. Thanks to Ms. Marie Thompson and Ms. Mary Castello and the other members of the Bronx HDFC Leadership Group for their presence and testimony at City Council. Both groups are affiliate organizations of the City-wide HDFC Council.

A welcomed supporter and testifier at City Council was our friend Herbert Hirchfield, PE, a prominent energy consultant in New York City whose insights helped focus on the importance of the legislation.

We must also mention the support guidance and encouragement of the Legendary Brahmins of the HDFC movement in NYC, Mr. Harry DeRienzo, President of the Parodneck Foundation and Mr. Andy Richer, Executive Director of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB).

And a particular special thanks to the blind HPD burrocrats, (not mis-spelled), that denied our initial request for J-51 benefits for they provided the impetus to change the City's energy policy recognizing that management at the peak of demand is the way of the future in electric and that Master-metering/submetering of Direct metered buildings is indeed energy conservation.

And finally, the man that put it all together, Jordi Reyes-Montblanc,who is the Director of the WestSide HDFC Council and President of the City-wide HDFC Council.

Links

The HDFC Central (site dormant)
The HDFC Central Forum
WestSide Heights Citizens League