Radio Bushwick Temporarily Shuttered Due To Landlord Dispute
In the latest episode of New York’s landlords vs. tenants, music venue and bar Radio Bushwick was forced to temporarily shut down on Thursday due to a dispute with the real-estate investment firm that leases the space. Tari Sunkin, the owner of the relatively new concert venue, was already forced to suspend putting on shows during CMJ week thanks to the same landlord conflict.
At the center of the dispute is paperwork that was supposed to rezone the Wyckoff Avenue building from a manufacturing facility into a bar. Sunkin claims that her landlord, Cayuga Capital Management, refused to sign the paperwork that would give the property a caberet license. Once Cayuga reneged on their agreement to sign the papers, Sunkin stopped paying rent, never something landlords are very fond of. They sued her for non-payment, Sunkin counter-sued, and the whole thing became a messy court battle. On Thursday, she received a partial vacate order thanks to the landlord bringing in inspectors from the FDNY and Department of Buildings.
“It’s Wall Street’s version of ‘Footloose,’ ” Sunkin’s attorney, Adam Leitman Bailey, told the New York Post. “It’s un-American to stop people from dancing and having fun in exchange for corporate greed.”