In a packed, standing room only office of Community Board 7, the Housing, Land Use, & Zoning Committee heard heated arguments about the lack of repair and maintenance services for tenants of 2985, 2987, and 2999 Webster avenues. It was the result of a long-awaited meeting between tenants and representatives from the Stagg Group.

The realty firm’s representatives were present defending their recent actions in improving response time to complaints about repairs and maintenance work. The buildings, collectively making up The Bedford Park Manor, opened in 2015, the first such properties to open following the 2011 rezoning of a large swath of Webster Avenue.

Several members of CB7 reminded tenants and owners that they must meet together to resolve the issues because the board will not continue hearing the disputes as a judge.

Although most of the meeting dealt with tenants presenting proof of their complaints with printed photos, cell phone photos, and cell phone video of messy hallways and apartments, the last five minutes became a very tense discussion over whether the Stagg Group falsely represented their initial plans for the three buildings. Zxavier Simpson, who has been leading a fight for improved conditions at the building, started a Facebook page chronicling some of the quality of life concerns plauging the properties.

One of the more contentious issues argued by tenants is the need for a live-in super.

When pressed to answer where the super for the buildings lives, Javier Monroy, property manager at the Stagg Group, revealed that the super lives on E. 203rd St. and Webster Av.  but that they are in constant communication.

“I sleep with the phone next to me.  If something happens, I’m there,” said Monroy.

Barbara Stronczer, president of Bedford Mosholu Community Association and vice chair of Community Board 7, reacted by reminding the Stagg Group that “New York City law requires a live-in super.”

Simpson said, “if they care about these buildings, what are they doing?  We have roaches, rodents, gnats.”

Also at issue is the number of apartments that, while rented at market rate, were leased to supportive housing nonprofits to house its clients.

Kenny Agosto, district director for state senator Jamaal T. Bailey, whose office has been trying to help tenants, emphatically stated that “these buildings are not supportive apartments,” and not obligated to provide additional services beyond what is expected of market rate.

John Snider, chairman of CB7 Housing committee, promised to get the facts straight as to whether the Stagg Group is manipulating state and city housing ordinances in order to deny the full array of services that are due to the tenants.

Snider concluded the meeting by urging the representatives from the Stagg Group to meet with tenants and address their concerns.  “It is not in the interest of Stagg to have this issue going on,” Snider said.

The two groups will present a progress report at the May meeting of the CB7 Housing committee.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.