The artists of 269 Douglass Street, a commercially-zoned building in Gowanus, are making history. The residents were served eviction notices last summer, but a groundbreaking court decision will allow the residents, some who have lived in the building for 15 years, to remain in their lofty abode, at least for now, according to the Brooklyn Paper. The landlord wanted to kick out the group of painters and photographers to convert the building into a charter school. Kings County Civil Court Judge Katherine Levine ruled that a city panel specializing in tenants' rights, not the court system, should decide whether or not longtime residents of industrial building lofts are breaking the law.
The city panel is better versed than most judges in the particulars of the Loft Law, which gives some rights to residents living in buildings zoned for manufacturing, meaning that the artists have a much better chance of staying put. The artists' lawyer says the decision is the first of its kind anywhere.
· Lofty Victory: Court Win for Gowanus Artists a Gamechanger for Industrial Dwellers [BK Paper]
· 269 Douglass Street [Curbed]
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