The Clement Clarke

What are you saying?

"The Real Deal" published this quote from "The Daily News":
"Buyers at new developments around the city are joining together to talk to developers about problems with their condo purchases. Buyers at the Clement Clarke in Chelsea, at 140 West 22nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, are communicating with the building's developer through a lawyer, Adam Leitman Bailey. Clement Clarke buyers say they have found water damage, wall cracks and other problems in their units. Other unhappy buyers, such as those at the Brompton at 205 East 85th Street, at Third Avenue, where the 190 units were selling for around $1,800 per square foot, are finding each other on the Internet and sharing their concerns. Brompton buyers are angry about the falling value of the apartments and claim the building has been poorly constructed."

Also see this article from "The New York Post"
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02262009/realestate/battle_ready_156947.htm

Oy!

"Brompton buyers are angry about the falling value of the apartments"

Perhaps they're angry about the falling price of oil & want to sue over that, as well?

What class action? What do people know about this development?

Also, why are the common charges so high? This could be a good middle class building (albeit at high prices) if they'd get rid of the doorman. No way in this area that it is truly a family building.

clement clarke has 21 closed sales listed, out of 51 units. 4 units just went back on the market, are also still listed as being in contract. another five or so were very recently listed as unavailable.

does anyone know if these problems have been solved?
I am thinking of buying a unit in this building, any feedback is highly appreciated

nah, the problem here is actually in the plumbing under the floorboards. Do not buy until you have someone inspect the plumbing in your apartment. You do not want warped floors to deal with in addition to leaks.

I live at the Clement Clarke. There were serious problems early in the year in a few units due to plumbing. They have all since been fixed and the damaged floors replaced- the owners all live there now. Speaking for myself, in my own unit I have not had any major issues and the few cosmetic or applicance problems I have had have all been quickly addressed and fixed. The building is mostly young professionals and some young couples/families. In the few building gatherings I have been to everyone is nice and socialable. I have other friends who bought in new construction buildings and compared to their stories about their issues (every new building has them) and in my experience, I think our sponsor is more responsive than most and the reps are in the building daily. Regarding the comment on the CC, when I bought the apt they were the lowest on the street for a 24-hr doorman building which was a feature I wanted. Not sure what the average is now. As for the law suit filed by a group of people looking to get out of their contracts early this year, the latest update is that the claims they have made have not been proven and they are upset at losing their deposits. Hope this is helpful.

realtorwhosellsthere?

The Clement Clarke Condominium at 140 West 22nd St. in Chelsea: The Vintage Group
Buyers of 11 out of 51 units (22 percent) filed disputes with the AG's office. One buyer, who filed her dispute through Bailey, said that during her walk-through she discovered her apartment was a "dump" with warped floors and chunks of marble missing from the bathroom fixtures. "If we were in a robust climate, I still wouldn't have closed on that apartment," she told The Real Deal. The developer could not be reached, and the sales broker at the building did not return calls.

http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/where-are-buyers-backing-out

Apt_boy, I am an owner in the building. Many of the claims in that article don't seem to be true based on my experience and discussions w/ other owners. I think they were made by buyers simply trying to get out of their contracts due to the real estate market. I have heard that many of these buyers lost their deposits because their claims were found to be false. Myself and my neighbors like the building very much...our experience has been completely opposite that article.

Art-Maven: Nope. No. Nada. Building has HUGE structural defects. Know a buyer who's not in the class action, but should be. Buyer's had MAJOR, cash draining issues. That developer should be drawn & quartered.

Any news on this building? Are people still having problems, or are issues mostly resolved?

not resolved at all.

Okay, some1wholiveshere and art_maven seem to be shills for the building. The building does have issues and the developer is pretty much, completely unresponsive. Word is that some contractors for the building are refusing to do/or complete work because of payment issues.
All one has to do is look at the cleanliness, condition and maintenance of the common areas, especially the elevators, to see that there are issues. One can only imagine the problems the owners are having with the developer.

I'm reading some of these comments and had to confirm we're talking about the same building. The structural problems that "downtownsnob" are claiming are completely unsubstantiated. My next door neighbor is a structural engineer and bought the most expensive unit in the building - does that make sense for him to buy in the building if there are structural defects??? I'm an owner in Clement Clarke and VERY happy with my apartment, the building, the staff, the management and the sponsor - sure there was a point in the beginning where I was concerned about the economy and the market slowing down and therefore the financial stability of the building (almost 2 years ago) but all of those concerns were put to rest well over a year ago when we closed and my punchlist was fully completed to my satisfaction. The building is financially strong and is selling out very quickly now that the market is picking up. 140 W. 22nd is an amazing place to live - no better value in the Chelsea neighborhood! Now with Dermologica and Halo opening up, the block is being transformed into one of the most desirable blocks in Chelsea. Very happy with our investment! NOT a big fan of this site but I wanted to set the record straight on this building - not sure what some of these agendas are above and where these people actually live and what properties they represent, but it's evident that there are some inaccuracies and exaggerations being stated on this site - I encourage buyers to do more investigating than just reading these comments, and ask the sponsor or neighbors directly about any questions they have on the building.

i think all the people suing the developer would disagree with you. i don't know where the "selling out very quickly" is coming from but the actual closed deals listed publicly are just 6 in the past 6 months. most people's agenda on here is for transparency in nyc real estate. you seem to have much more of an agenda based on your post. that said good luck to you if you truly own, or if you are one of the realtors, which seems more likely.

I'm an owner, duh

considering buying, but still unsure about this place.. are problems throughout the entire building? can we get some more in depth details about whats been going wrong? and what can be done to address them? what should i look out for? can the contract be modified to include any issues experienced?
and any issues with building management? super? any anecdotes?
thanks in advance.

Also, can anyone give any idea about how much these places are going for per square feet (current prices.) They still seem overpriced to us ...

Major problems in the building! Many problems that are hidden deep within the walls. Hope you have savings for future assessments. Bewares beware.

NYCREINVEST, would you mind expanding a little on the hidden problems? Any current owners care to advise? Thanks.

Read my posting above -

Anybody concerned about the 3-4 brownstones on 21st street that have already been purchased by a developer and will eventually block all views/ light of all the South facing units? What about living through construction for the next 2 yrs?

veselka - details please?

extell. building a huge rental. just google it. definitely happening.

http://newyork.therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/extell-plans-another-new-project-gem-tower-antiques-garage

here again:
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2009/04/22/actual_real_construction_coming_to_chelsea_columbus_circle.php

it's all just a mess, w 22nd btw 6th and 7th is not becoming one of the most desirable blocks in chelsea, there's some stiff competition. (just walk around the blocks near the seminary) the southeast corner of w 22nd and 7th is a notorious hang out for drunks and other undesirables. then there's rear delivery entrance for the garden of eden, plus other assorted warehouses and businesses. also, i doubt halo will last a year. the block has residents, but it's not "residential."
whatever happened to the security camera system? aren't there are holes in the bldg facade and lobby wall with exposed wires? it's been like that for months and months. and now the elevators have holes drilled in them, which i presume are so moving pads can be hung, but really, the few hooks installed are brass. not a nice touch for a white elevator with an aluminum color accent. what are they thinking?
the owners i know in the bldg are still having issues with the developer and now to add insult to injury they're going to lose their views and sunlight.
good luck

Sam Suzuki developed this project. He worked on it until it was completed last year. Guess where Sam is now?

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100625/REAL_ESTATE/100629871

Never buy a condo from Sam Suzuki or a car from Joe Isuzu.