Below is the text of a sample letter that can be used to email or mail our elected officials to help motivate them to make rent stabilization at Gateway Plaza a real priority. You can also download a copy of the rent stabilization letter as an MS Word document.
[Date]
[Your name]
Gateway Plaza
[Your building] South End Avenue
Apartment [Your apartment]
New York, NY 10280
[Elected Official]
[Address]
New York, NY [Zip code]
Dear [Elected Official]:
I have been a resident of Gateway Plaza for [number] years and am concerned about maintaining affordable rents in Lower Manhattan. As such, I am writing to ask for your support in securing a rent stabilization agreement for all Gateway Plaza residents. For the past 10 years, rents in lower Manhattan have far exceeded the rate of inflation and many residents are feeling the pressure, so we need your support!
Completed in 1981, Gateway Plaza was the first residential building constructed in Battery Park City and was originally built as affordable housing. In exchange, Gateway Plaza was given a substantial discount on its ground rent payment. In 2009, the Battery Park City Authority and our elected officials were successful in securing rent stabilization through 2020 for tenants who were already living in the complex. Tenants who moved in after that date that did so at market-rate rents and without the protections afforded under the 2009 agreement. These market rate tenants have reported significant annual rent increases since 2009.
As the current trend is unsustainable for many residents of New York City, we are seeking rent stabilization for ALL Gateway residents, not just those covered under the previous agreement.
On the heels of the recent Citizens’ Budget Commission study documenting the severity of New York City’s rent burden, along with the priority that the De Blasio administration has made of the preservation of affordable housing, we kindly ask for your active support and advocacy on this matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name]