Local elected officials and community leaders rallied alongside tenants at Grand Concourse and East Fordham Road in Fordham Heights, Saturday, March 27, demanding a solution to what they believe may be a wave of inevitable evictions of long-term tenants from one residential building, following the purchase of their apartments by a new owner.

Pierina Sanchez, local resident and District 14 City Council candidate, hosted the rally and was joined by Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), State Assemblyman Kenny Burgos (A.D. 85) and Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, to call attention to the issue and help prevent the building’s residents from becoming homeless when their current leases expire.

During her address, Sanchez said that just after the New Year, she heard from several neighbors living at 2420 Morris Avenue, in Fordham Heights, who had received official letters from their landlord that stated that their leases would not be renewed. “Some of them were already living in substandard conditions,” she said. “Some of them have been here for 10, 15, 20 years,” she added.

Sanchez said that investment company, Glacier Equities, had purchased the cooperative apartments in the building, along with others at different locations across the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, apparently with plans to refurbish them, and “flip” or resell them at a profit.

“So, we are gathered here this morning to highlight a potential injustice, a potential injustice because we can turn this around,” Sanchez said. During the rally, one tenant who appeared to be in his thirties was seen crying. He did not wish to disclose his name but spoke to the Norwood News about his fears for the future, following receipt of the lease non-renewal notice.

Sanchez, who is running for the city council seat held by Councilman Fernando Cabrera, who is term-limited and serving his final term, said, “Here in the community, over 2,500 families have been told… that they will have to go to housing court to defend their right to stay in this community.” She asked the crowd, “Is that fair?” to which they shouted back, “No!”

Sanchez added, “These are our neighbors, the essential workers who have kept this city running throughout the pandemic: store clerks, firefighters, veterans, retired police officers, and professionals from all walks of life, living here in the community, who deserve to stay.”

Fausto Pinto is the grandson of veteran, Juan Rodriguez, who has lived at 2420 Morris Avenue for the last 15 years. Pinto recalled, “Back in December, there was a leak in the apartment above him and he had the people come in, and they gutted the entire kitchen and living room, and they never came back.” Pinto said his grandfather was forced to leave his home every morning just to take a shower.

On January 22, Norwood News reported that 255 apartment units in nine different buildings in the Bronx and Manhattan had been purchased by Glacier Equities, including in one Perry Avenue building in Norwood. A similar tenants’ rally was held there at the time to protest the receipt of similar lease non-renewal notices, with a departure deadline of March 31 in that case. Negotiations have been ongoing between the landlord and the tenants since then.

We reached out to Glacier Equities for comment on the Morris Avenue situation and on Tuesday, April 27, Alex Horn, a partner at the firm, whose portfolio includes 2420 Morris Avenue, said, “I can tell you that, as far as the owner of the apartments, and the eviction notices, no one is getting evicted.” He added, “It’s a cooperative apartment building where free market leases are not being renewed in order to sell the units.”

Horn went on to talk about, “homeowner opportunities for people in the neighborhood,” and added, “The owner is working with each individual tenant to provide things like waving months of rent, reimbursing months of rent and providing extensions” on rental payments.

According to Horn, Glacier Equities is now offering residents an exclusive right to purchase apartments at a 30 percent discount and will also be offering low-cost financing. However, it is unclear if the impacted tenants can afford, or will be able to organize the purchase of their homes before their current leases expire.

Following the Morris Avenue tenants’ rally, Norwood News checked back with some of the impacted tenants, to ask about the status of negotiations with the landlord, as well as asking when they are now required to leave their apartments. However, with the negotiations ongoing, they appeared hesitant to respond.

Meanwhile, according to the website, apartments.com, as of April 27, there were no available units for rent at 2420 Morris Avenue, Unit 3G. A message to prospective renters reads, “Prices and availability subject to change without notice.”

When it comes to apartment repairs, the Office of the New York State Attorney General (NYS AG) has issued regulations that govern the offer and sale of interests in cooperatives and condominiums, requiring owners to ensure that units are in good working order prior to sale. Asked about this required NYS AG approval in the context of the resale of the Morris Avenue apartments, Horn replied, “We actually received that approval a week or two weeks ago.”

Despite such apparent protections for tenants impacted by the sale of co-operative apartments, the Morris Avenue tenants still seem unsure and fearful about their long-term housing fate. This is also despite the likely passage this week in Albany of an eviction moratorium extension beyond the current April 30 deadline.

On December 28, 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction Prevention Act of 2020, which prevented residential evictions and foreclosures amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Legislators are voting this week on a possible eviction moratorium extension until Aug. 31.

On April 23, Judith Goldiner of The Legal Aid Society, issued a statement in response to the introduction in Albany of the legislation, saying, “Acknowledging the reality that New York is still very much mired in a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and answering the calls from struggling families throughout the state, the legislature has introduced a bill that will prevent the residential eviction moratorium, a literal lifeline for millions of New Yorkers, from expiring late next week,” she said.

“Both the Senate and Assembly should pass this bill immediately, and Gov. Cuomo should sign it into law just as fast.” Goldiner said The Legal Aid Society applauded the legislature, especially Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, for introducing legislation that she said would provide critical safeguards for tenants.

“However, the pandemic has proven to be unpredictable, and we must be ready to extend the protections afforded in this bill if the virus still poses a significant risk to public health and safety, come August,” she said.

On Tuesday, April 27, Dinowitz, who represents A.D. 81 in the Northwest Bronx, confirmed the legislation had passed the requisite committees in the Assembly, and a vote is expected to take place on the House floor on Wednesday, April 28.

“Keeping people in their homes and stores must rightfully remain our top priority as legislators,” Dinowitz said in a written statement. “I urge my colleagues to continue supporting these critical bills when they come to the floor for a full vote. I understand the concerns raised by advocates for both tenants and landlords about getting the billions of dollars in rent and mortgage relief payments into the hands of New Yorkers, and this legislation should create a sufficient window for New York State to get that program fully implemented.”

Dinowitz added, “Without this legislation, I firmly believe our courts will be deluged with a mass of eviction and foreclosure filings – which does not help anybody. If landlords are serious about wanting their back-rent to be paid, then they should support this legislation too.”

Norwood News asked Dinowitz if the pending legislation, if passed, would also protect those tenants whose leases may potentially expire prior to Aug. 31, at least in the short-term. A representative for the assemblyman replied, “The legislation will prevent all types of evictions until Aug. 31, if the hardship declaration form is submitted. There is a narrow exception in a small number of very specific cases (those where a tenant is presenting a danger to other residents or is damaging property).”

Meanwhile, Horn vowed that anyone in a Glacier Equities-owned apartment who needed repairs would have the repairs made.

On Monday, May 3, Goldiner, issued the further statement in response to the New York State Legislature passing legislation (A07175/S06362) to extend the statewide residential eviction moratorium:

“Keeping their promise, Albany lawmakers passed common-sense legislation today to extend New York’s residential eviction moratorium for a crucial four additional months, providing a lifeline that millions of families from Brooklyn to Buffalo and Rochester to Rensselaer have relied on since last year. Governor Cuomo should sign this bill into law without delay,” she said.

She added, “All stakeholders – elected officials, civil legal services organizations, housing advocacy groups and others – now have a shared duty to ensure that all New Yorkers are informed of the extension and the process to qualify for relief. The Legal Aid Society is prepared to do our part, and we call on others to join us on this cause.”

Referring to the ongoing pandemic, Goldiner called, again, on lawmakers to follow the same logic and extend the moratorium again, if, by August, it was still needed.

Norwood News previously profiled Sanchez’s candidacy in the District 14 race. Other candidates include Adolfo Abreu, Fernando A. Aquino, Haile M Rivera, Socrates S Solano and Yudelka Tapia. Sanchez currently leads in campaign contributions at $81,185, followed by Abreu with $63,787, and Aquino with $49,970.

*José A. Giralt contributed reporting to this story.

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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.