Penthouse For Sale

The Gothamist is reporting, in this article on Artist-in-Residence rules in SoHo, that JonBon has put his SoHo penthouse on the market.

Remember those pesky Artist-in-Resident laws down in Soho? You know, the ones that say only "artists," as defined by the Department of Cultural Affairs, can live in the 200 or so buildings that were converted from commercial to residential use? The laws have been hampering real estate deals for some time, and now a group of concerned neighbors wants to abolish the AiR laws forever.

Non-artists had been quietly ignoring the laws for years, moving in and out of gorgeous, expensive Soho lofts without being officially certified as artists (because, really, how many artists are living around the corner from Kelly Ripa and Jon Bon Jovi?). Everything was going just fine until last year, when the city suddenly began to care, and now sellers, like Bon Jovi, who put his penthouse on the market to the tune of $30 million, are feeling the burn.

So the Soho/Noho Action Committee, a group of concerned neighborhood residents, is meeting tonight at St. Anthony's Church to push for the "archaic" laws to be overturned. As one broker told The Post, "Ninety percent of the people here are living illegally."

Fox News confirms:

The Artists-in-Residence law says that about 200 buildings that were converted from commercial to residential use are only for "artists," as defined by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs. "Artists" are certified by a department committee that determines if they are actively working in painting, sculpting, choreography, music or other artistic endeavors.

But not every artist is able to afford the luxury homes, and it could hurt potential sellers -- such as Jon Bon Jovi, who quietly put his penthouse on the market for more than $30 million.

The city already denied certificates of occupancy to 10 buildings in the area -- including Bon Jovi's at 158 Mercer St., according to real-estate lawyer Margaret Baisley.

Anyone know any artistes in the market for a pricey pad, and willing to live there illegally?

~ Hath