The innocent victim of the Second Avenue explosion has hired Compass brokerage to sell what is now his vacant lot in the East Village for $9.7 million.
The seller, George Pasternak, owned the small rental building with two stores at 123 Second Ave., between East Sixth and Seventh streets, that was destroyed in the March 26, 2015, explosion.
The blast was triggered when his neighbor, Maria Hrynenko, and contractors allegedly jury-rigged the building’s gas lines, causing an explosion that killed two people and destroyed her two buildings along with Pasternak’s.
Hrynenko was arrested in February, along with four contractors allegedly involved with the tampering of the gas lines, and charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide.
After the explosion, all three small apartment buildings and their stores were demolished by the city, which charged each owner over $350,000 for the services.
To add insult to injury, all three properties were reclassified from apartments in Tax Class 2 to vacant land in Tax Class 4, which will bump their expected rates starting July 1.
While only Pasternak’s lot is for sale, each of the three lots, including the corner at 119 Second Ave., can host 10,000 buildable square feet for apartments, residential condominiums plus stores.
“We … understand that the development community has a certain interest,” said Compass broker Gabriele Sewtz, along with colleague Sarah Kruse. “The timing is right [for the owner] to let go and start over and give someone else a chance to develop the property.”
If Hyrenko is found guilty, it is unclear if her insurance company would pay the claims. However, if the victims, including Pasternak, obtain judgments, they may be able to attach the proceeds of any future sale of her lots, making his lot a prize for patient money with an eye on a future, larger development.
