I've lived in Stuyvesant Town since 1994. I'm fortunate in that I have a rent stabilized one bedroom apartment for less than $1200 a month, which includes gas and electricity (I have two air conditioners). This development was built in 1947 for veterans returning home from WW II. The Metropolitan Life Insurance company has owned it from its inception (a prior poster erroneously referred to when Met. Life bought the development). New tenants moving are unable to obtain rent stabilized apartments. However, their apartments (which are rented at market rate) are beautifully and tastefully renovated. Sadly, my kitchen looks like it was built in 1947, e.g., old metal cabinets and an old fashioned double tub sink. I'm not complaining because I'd rather have cheap rent than a new kitchen!

I've always marvelled at how quickly the office sends someone over to fix things. The development itself is beautifully landscaped. There is a large fountain in the center of the development, which is known as "the oval." Residents jog around the oval in good weather and on summer evenings many residents picnic on the grass while listening to live music. Yes, the development offers free recreational activities. There are no doormen buildings, but there is a private security force and it is a safe community.

Some of the original tenants still reside here, but there are people of all ages and backgrounds living in Stuy. Town. Many NYU graduate students live here now as Stuyvesant Town has an arrangement with NYU.

Although you can rent a parking spot in the garages, I've been parking my car on the street since I've lived here, which isn't fun! However, I've adapted to it!

Anyway, in summary, this is a great place to live - the best of small town America in Manhattan.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/06/2008
I've been living in Stuyvesant Town since 1993 in a rent stabilized two bedroom, with the same 60 year old kitchen and bathroom, and 18 year old stove and refrigerator. My new base rent is $1,800 per month and I pay $56 twelve months a year to use my two air conditioners, which rent stabilized tenants buy themselves. The new 8,000 BTU Friedrich (the only brand that fits the windows)that will replace my 11 year old unit is $799 plus tax and installation. Eleven years old? Yes, and that means we lived in this top floor apartment without air conditioning for many years with temperatures in the high nineties. Rent stabilized tenants are also charged up to an additional 6% of their base rent for MCIs, Major Capital Improvements, which include paying for the new windows, electrical wiring to use air conditioners, new roofs, brick pointing, new elevators, new intercom, etc. Once one's lease is up for renewal, that 6% MCI increase is rolled into the base rent and the new increase is based on the total. With the 8.5% increase for a two year lease due next year, that will put my rent at over $2,000 a month, I guess I won't be affording paying additional monthly increases for a new refrigerator or stove. Service is not great for rent stabilized tenants; not sure if it's any better for market rate tenants. The laundry rooms are filthy and the machines are always broken. The halls need painting and the elevators are dirty. Yes, some tenants with no regard to their neighbors, leave their trash in the halls, steal laundry, laundry products and laundry carts out of the laundry rooms, and party too loud and too late for those of us who work a 50 hour week, or those who are very young or old and need to sleep. I will have to move when I retire, which should make not only Tishman very happy, but also all those twenty something market renters who complain that Stuy Town is for families and old people (yes, I read Lux Living). Happy to see dogs. Not happy to see 10,000 baby trees and 100,000 ferns, but then maybe I have no appreciation for landscaping. I will miss my neighbors.

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