New York Shitty Day Ender: Much Ado About Edge

August 19, 2009 by
Filed under: 11211, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn 

edge

No, not that Edge, this one!

cuttingedge

117s3st

Anonymous writes:

Hi Miss Heather,

I enjoy reading your blog from time-to-time and especially appreciate the news on the developments around the neighborhood.

I’d like to share with you some information about a building on the Southside, in hopes that it can get out to others who deserve to know… So, here goes:

The building has a retail space in the bottom which is currently owned by the developer and being rented to a John Suarez, who is running it as a gym, called Cutting Edge.

Well, there are many problems here:

1) The space isn’t zoned to be a gym
2) He is occupying space in the basement and using it for classes and workout space when it is only supposed to be used as storage
3) There’s no proper emergency exit from the basement
4) He’s illegally (i.e., with no work permit) installing showers/bathrooms in the basement

The biggest problem of all is that John Suarez has been forbidden by the Attorney General to ever operate a gym. A few years back he had advertised the opening of a new gym in the neighborhood, called Core Health and Fitness. He never opened the gym, even after taking people’s money. He was ordered to pay back $172,000 in restitution, but I know for a fact (a neighbor was a victim of the scam) that people did not get their money back…

As you can see my anonymous friend has a lot to say. Let’s take a break for a moment and evaluate points 1-4.

1. The space isn’t zoned to be a gym

nocofoNYS

This is, in a manner of speaking, correct. You see, 117 South 3 Street has no Certificate of Occupancy on file. None. Zero. Zippo. Therefore, the fact this building is occupied at all— be it by tenants or businesses— is an issue. Then again (and this is where it get really interesting), this depends on which 117 South 3 Street you look up. You see, for some inexplicable reason this building has two Building Information Numbers (BINS): the latter has a Certificate of Occupancy on file. Not that it allows the basement to be used as a commercial space: it doesn’t.

Point numbers 2 & 3:

He is occupying space in the basement and using it for classes and workout space when it is only supposed to be used as storage… There’s no proper emergency exit from the basement…

Okay, I haven’t actually been in this building so I cannot verify this. Which brings me to to point number 4:

He’s illegally (i.e., with no work permit) installing showers/bathrooms in the basement.

Now this one I can prove! You see, the Department of Buildings paid 117 South 3 Street’s basement a visit last month.

resolved

In fact, it even netted him a Stop Work Order.

SWO

Not that this appears to have done much, mind you:

complaint

How this tale end? Will Mr. Suarez get caught— and if so, by who:

  • the Department of Buildings?
  • the office of the Attorney General?
  • The Edge’s trademark infringement attorneys?

Or:

I suppose only time will tell. In the meantime, caveat emptor.

Miss Heather

P.S.: Those of you harboring any doubts as to whether or not John Suarez is behind this business (and is at large at 117 South 3 Street), Google the phone number on the below flier.

flier

Here’s what you’ll find.

screencap



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Comments

15 Comments on New York Shitty Day Ender: Much Ado About Edge

  1. al oof on Wed, 19th Aug 2009 9:38 pm

    2. i remember that gym scam. but i thought the guy had a german name for some reason. but i’d only heard about it from my boss at the time, and he was a gossip, so who knows what was true and what wasn’t.

  2. no no on Wed, 19th Aug 2009 10:16 pm

    3. A fire marshall needs to check it out.

  3. mikki on Thu, 20th Aug 2009 4:48 pm

    4. No no is right. Fire marshals or police could shut that down on sight.

  4. no no on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 10:49 am

    5. 718.999.2541 fdny div. bureau of fire prevention
    What entity enforces the attorney generals judgment against this scam artist ?
    State Police ? Curious.

  5. missheather on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 7:43 pm

    6. I haven’t a clue. Anyone?

  6. New York Post prohibits crediting blogs for scoops » Nieman Journalism Lab on Fri, 4th Sep 2009 10:55 am

    7. […] newspapers lift from other newspapers, and radio stations do the rip-and-read. So when a blogger uncovered a major zoning violation in her Brooklyn neighborhood last month, it was only natural that the New […]

  7. New York Post Policy, Never Credit a Blogger « Jewish Breaking News on Fri, 4th Sep 2009 11:29 am

    8. […] newspapers lift from other newspapers, and radio stations do the rip-and-read. So when a blogger uncovered a major zoning violation in her Brooklyn neighborhood last month, it was only natural that the New […]

  8. The economy of not linking « Metamedia on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 10:47 am

    9. […] Uncategorized So the New York Post printed a story without crediting the blogger who originally broke it – and the journalist whose byline is on the Post piece claimed it was an editorial policy not […]

  9. FAIR Blog » Blog Archive » NY Post Steals From, Refuses to Credit Bloggers on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 8:46 pm

    10. […] from other newspapers, and radio stations do the rip-and-read," Seward writes that "when a blogger uncovered a major zoning violation in her Brooklyn neighborhood last month, it was only natural that the New […]

  10. Des journaux sans scrupules envers les blogueurs | Citoyen Michel on Sun, 6th Sep 2009 12:07 pm

    11. […] douteux. Le journaliste Alex Ginsberg du Post, celui qui avait «volé» l’information sur le blogue de Miss Heather, a d’ailleurs pris la peine de lui expliquer dans un commentaire pourquoi il ne l’avait […]

  11. Periodismo pirata : Blogografia on Tue, 8th Sep 2009 6:41 am

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  13. NY Post Steals From, Refuses to Credit Bloggers « Boniknik on Wed, 9th Sep 2009 6:38 am

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  14. kgorode on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 3:22 pm

    15. Has anyone joined this gym? I was thinking about joining as it is the only affordable gym that opens in time for me to go to work. I cannot afford Soma and would be late to work if I joined the metropolitan swimming pool. I know I could be throwing my money away, so before I do it, I figured I’d ask.

  15. The economy of not linking | Metamedia on Tue, 25th May 2010 3:40 pm

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