While Verizon is planning to move 1,100 workers out of Lower Manhattan after two building floods in as many years, TF Cornerstone is banking on the fact that luxury renters will still want to live in FiDi, even if things didn’t go so well the last time around.
TF Cornerstone has invested $15 million to repair its severely storm-damanged 51-story tower at 2 Gold Street and the adjacent 201 Pearl Street, going so far as to install a 13-foot-by-11-foot aluminum gate that uses nitrogen-fueled gaskets to create a watertight seal for the basement.
The building was one of the most hard hit residential towers during Hurricane Sandy and even though TF Cornerstone agreed to let tenants out of their leases on account of the fact that they weren’t able to return until March, the company is still dealing with a class-action tenant lawsuit for other damages and Sandy-related inconveniences.
Now, it’s trying to lure somewhat wary renters back with upgraded common areas and no fee leases. There is—as a recent press release about the “golden opportunity” to rent in “FiDi’s most desirable building” touted—fully-restored amenities that include a rooftop solarium with an indoor fireplace, a lounge with two full-size billiards tables and a 9,000-square foot roof deck with a “real grass lawn.”
TF Cornerstone has been leasing apartments since March 1 and still has quite a bit of inventory to turn over. Streeteasy shows 42 active listings on the market ranging from $2,465 for a studio to $5,975 for a three-bedroom.
And, while some renters might be hesitant to return to the Financial District with or without a flood gate, the surprisingly empty halls do offer at least one advantage.
“It is a little quiet now,” one returning renter told the Daily News. “I don’t ever have to wait for the elevator.”
