"Tenants in the Higgins Building at Second and Main charge that owner Barry Shy has exhibited a pattern of deceit and intimidation. Among the accusations are that Shy overstated the size of their units to lure them into the building, and that he promised in writing to sell units for tens of thousands of dollars less than he is now asking. Many charge Shy with bullying them into purchasing their units before they are legally required to do so."
Shy: "Forget if I'm a good man or a bad man. I'm a businessman. I want to sell the units."
Bartlett parking disputes, building safety allegations, breach of contract, fraud, Higgins: housing discrimination, building safety issues
Shy: "I don't like lawsuits. Sometimes I have to cut my losses. I'm not a fighter. I am a
foreigner, I speak broken English and come here and do so well. A lot of
people are jealous."
Higgins tenants allege Barry Shy lied about amenities and threatened eviction if they did not sign a paper to buy units at inflated prices.
"The Downtown News details a nasty spat over complaints by residents that owner Barry Shy has lied about amenities and threatened eviction if they don't sign a paper promising to buy their units at inflated prices. Shy says someone has forged his name on a document, and it goes from there. "
"In 2004, some residents of the property were angered when they were told they had to vacate their units within 60 days. That prompted several to charge unfair housing practices by owner Barry Shy. After a long dispute, many residents moved out - and Shy went on to develop a handful of other projects."
Re: Adult video store in Bartlett building - tenants outraged
"...These inhabitants had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in their homes, and rightly felt that such a business would not only lower their property values but slow improvement in their neighborhood."
"...were told they had to vacate within 60 days as the property was being converted to condominiums. The maneuver enraged some residents, and many left. At least five sued owner Barry Shy."
About 41 comments about Barry Shy, most of them, not fans
"A couple of years <ago> I considered buying a unit in one of his projects. My wife and I decided against the deal because too many details seemed odd and demanded that I trust him to do the right thing. I was also overwhelmed by the number of people who contacted me about his business practices and warning me against doing business with him. Everything I've read or heard since then confirms the wisdom of our decision not to buy a unit from him."
"We forced Barry Shy's business associates to resign from our HOA Board as well as forced Barry Shy to step down from the VP position on the Board that he legally (but unethically) appointed himself to when he still owned a majority of the units before they were sold."