38 Issues in 38 Days at 38 6th: Issue #11: Paying for Amenities You Can’t Use

At 38 Sixth Avenue, some tenants are being denied access to amenities they are actively paying for.

The reason?
Key fob restrictions.

This creates a simple but serious problem:

Tenants are being charged for services they cannot reliably access.

Amenities—whether fitness centers, lounges, or shared spaces are part of the value tenants pay for. Restricting access without clear cause or resolution turns those amenities into empty promises.

This is not a minor inconvenience.

It’s a breakdown in basic fairness:

• pay for access

• receive access

When that equation fails, tenants are left footing the bill for something they don’t actually receive.

And the question becomes unavoidable:

If access can be restricted at any time, what exactly are tenants paying for?

In buildings tied to larger ownership and investment structures including firms like Avanath Capital Management and nonprofit partners such as BRIDGE Housing, amenities are often part of the broader value proposition used to market and justify these developments.

These models are frequently supported by wider capital ecosystems, including philanthropic initiatives such as Ballmer Group and leadership figures like Steve Ballmer.

If amenities are part of that promise, then access to them should not be conditional or unreliable.

Otherwise, the promise itself begins to break down.