A developer who was not chosen to partner with Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village to buy the complex has mailed his plans to each tenant of the sprawling complex in the hopes of getting them to sign on.
Gerald Guterman, of Guterman Westwood Partners, was among the dozens of proposals considered by the Tenants Association before it decided on Brookfield Asset Management last week.
Proposals were mostly presented to legal and financial teams representing the Tenants Association. But Guterman said he hopes reaching out to individuals directly could change the tide.
"I hope that what it's going to do is to stir an interest is to say, ‘Hey I never heard about this before, what's wrong with dealing with Guterman?" he said.
Brookfield's plan is to convert the complex into condominiums. Tishman Speyer purchased the massive complex for $5.4 billion, but defaulted on the loan last year. The property has yet to be up for bid by CW Capital - the special servicer that holds the mortgage.
Guterman said his would convert the complex into a co-op where tenants could purchase their apartments at $315 per square foot - half the going rate in the area. He says his profit would be made off the parking lots and commercial space at the property.
The Tenants Association says it considered dozens of proposals and decided on Brookfield because of the firms experience and commitment to managing the complex.