ROCHDALE

When Lisa Stark first heard about the idea, she became very excited. A contractor was promising to come into her property, paint the basement rooms, add new light fixtures, and then build enclosed, corrugated-steel, custom-designed storage units - all for free. It was no joke, either. Bargold, the firm making the offer, can afford giving all that away because it makes its money in the back end. The company rents the storage units directly to the residents, paying the property 25 percent of the gross receipts.
"I thought it was a fantastic idea," says Stark, president of the 5,860-unit Rochdale Village, a Queens cooperative. "It was definitely something that was wanted. There was a great outpouring of people who wanted to sign up for it."