THE CITY OF NEW YORK

MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 3

5 9 E a s t 4 t h S tr e e t - N e w Y o r k , N Y 10 0 0 3
Phone (212) 533-5300 - Fax (212) 533-3659
w w w . c b 3 m a n h a t t a n . o r g - i n f o @ c b 3 ma n h a t t a n . o r g
Gigi Li, Board Chair

Susan Stetzer, District Manager

January 27, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio

City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor de Blasio,
At its January 2016 monthly meeting, Community Board 3 passed the following resolution:
VOTE: Resolution to support the continued use of Rivington House as a much needed
community facility with support for the 219 Rivington House nursing home beds to
remain in CB 3
WHEREAS, in October 2014 Community Board 3 Manhattan supported the conversion of
Rivington House from an AIDs nursing home facility to a general nursing home facility; and
WHEREAS, Community Board 3 and elected officials and community residents worked very
hard to advocate for the 219 nursing home beds at this location to replace the many nursing
home beds lost in CB 3; and
WHEREAS, in October 2014 CB 3 stated its support for the nursing facility as support by the
board for its community facilities in general, especially those that serve the underserved who
are the most vulnerable of our residents; and
WHEREAS, CB 3 stated its support for people without the financial or other ability to receive
home care, and in need of both short term and long term care, should be able to remain in their
community, supported by friends and family; and
WHEREAS, Rivington House was originally a school sold by the City to VillageCare with a
restrictive deed that required the facility to remain a nonprofit nursing home in perpetuity, and
VillageCare sold the same facility to The Allure Group with the same deed restriction and now
the City (Department of Administrative Services-DCAS-) in November 2015 has sold the
lifting of the deed restriction for payment of $16 million to the City without any guarantee of
replacing the nursing home beds within the neighborhood and serving the same population and
without guarantee for use of the facility at 45 Rivington as a needed community benefit; and
WHEREAS, this action to lift the deed restriction occurred out of public view, with a total
lack of transparency and without fair or reasonable public notice to CB 3, local elected officials
and other community stakeholders; and

WHEREAS, this lack of transparency is especially egregious since those stakeholders were
the interested parties involved in the October 2014 effort to preserve Rivington House as a
general nursing home and preserve the maximum number of beds; so
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, CB 3 calls on the City to disclose information as to
what transpired with respect to this transaction, and CB 3 calls on the City to explore options
to reverse this decision immediately; so
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, CB 3 adamantly opposes any potential
conversion of Rivington House to free market housing or private commercial use, as has been
made possible by the lifting of the deed restriction; so
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, CB 3 believes that the City (DCAS) should
not have sold off the deed restriction without guarantee of the nursing home beds being
replaced in the community and the facility remaining as a benefit for the community; so
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, CB 3 must be involved in any transition or
change to the Rivington House facility, which was first a school, then an AIDS Nursing Home,
and finally a general nursing home facility. Furthermore, this facility should not be sold for
private use, which would not benefit the community, but should remain a facility that serves
the underserved and most vulnerable; so
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, CB 3 believes without question that, if the
Administration, elected officials and stakeholders have exhausted all available efforts to
reverse this action and the transaction ultimately goes forward, the 219 nursing homes beds
that existed in Rivington House nursing facility should be replaced within CB 3 to mitigate the
loss of many nursing home beds in the last several years.
Please contact the community board office with any questions.
Sincerely,

Gigi Li, Chair

Community Board 3

Cc:

Vaylateena Jones, Chair

Health, Seniors, and Human Services Committee

Lisette Camilo, Commissioner, Citywide Administrative Services

Mauricio Pazmino, Office of New York State Senator Daniel Squadron
Vincent Fang, Office of New York City Council Member Margaret Chin
Andrew Lombardi, Office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer
Tommy Lin, Mayors Office Community Affairs Unit