After an unrelenting pressure campaign on the owner of 2985, 2987, and 2999 Webster avenues to provide a live-in super to respond to complaints quickly, tenants finally got one, rectifying one of their biggest complaints spoken about over the last few months.

In a growing list of grievances by tenants against the Stagg Group, owner of the three-building complex, collectively known as Bedford Park Manor, many of those

revolved around the lack of an on-site super to attend to maintenance and repair issues in a timely manner. Austin Graham, director of business development at the Stagg Group, said, “We want our tenants to know that we listen to every complaint and have addressed their biggest concern, a live-in super.” The super will work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will be on call for 24 hours.

The Bedford Park Manor opened in April 2015 as the first affordable housing complex following the 2011 rezoning of Webster Avenue. The rezoning was intended to usher in affordable housing into a neighborhood once largely reserved for auto mechanics.

Barbara Stronczer, president of the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA) remembers when the buildings opened in 2015. “I toured the buildings back then and they were lovely,” said Stronczer.

The Stagg Group has firmly planted itself in neighboring Norwood, building two properties in the area, including Norwood Gardens, where a ribbon cutting is expected to take place on April 9. Stagg is also building its signature property at the corner of the Grand Concourse and Van Cortlandt Avenue East near East Mosholu Parkway. The building is dubbed the Mosholu Grand.

Initial repair and maintenance issues came to Stronczer’s attention through a local merchant and became more apparent when an outspoken tenant, Zxavier Simpson, attended a BMCA meeting in October. As a civic group promoting quality-of-life issues in the neighborhood, Stronczer directed Simpson—one of the more vocal tenants in the building who would bring a handful of tenants to BMCA meetings—to make his concerns known to Community Board 7.

Among the concerns was a spotty surveillance system, shoddy repair work, and an unease at the building caused by tenants Simpson said were mentally ill and barely supervised by the transitional nonprofit agency that relocated them there.

Over the last several months, the Norwood News has followed the complaints of tenants and reactions from the Stagg Group, culminating in a tense confrontation at the last Community Board 7 Housing, Land Use, & Zoning Committee meeting on March 12. Stagg representatives heard harsh words from board members reminding them that they needed to provide a live-in super given the size of the three properties comprising Bedford Park Manor. News of the live-in super came two days after protestations from Simpson, who was at the meeting.

“I’m happy for it,” said Simpson of the live-in super in a telephone interview with the Norwood News. “I’m going to be open to what’s going on.” But he admitted that the live-in super is just a first step. “We still have to watch them [The Stagg Group]. We have to make sure they keep their promises,” he said.

But this was not your standard form of tenant organizing, according to Sally Dunford, executive director of West Bronx Housing, who credits media coverage and Stagg’s concerns over whether this would damage its relationship with the community. “It’s not tenant organizing, but it got him what he needed,” said Dunford of Simpson’s approach in a telephone interview with the Norwood News. She conceded that Simpson’s ability to draw institutions proved effective.

“Just because it’s something I wouldn’t have done doesn’t mean it wasn’t effective. It was,” said Dunford, who defines tenant organizing as drawing greater numbers, about 15 or 20, to fight for improved conditions.

As for the Stagg Group, they hope that recent changes will demonstrate to tenants that their concerns are being addressed. In addition to the live-in super, Stagg Group representatives have “walked each building, [and] knocked on every door with a maintenance request form,” according to Graham. They have also set up tables in each lobby where tenants can register for the online portal requesting repairs and report any concerns.

As a way of adding greater security—one of the ongoing complaints— Javier Monroy, Stagg’s property manager, is also working with a locksmith to improve the locks on the side and front of the buildings, change the push bar for all exit side doors, and adjust the front door locks and door arms, according to an email from the Stagg Group.

“Every tenant should feel safe and listened to,” Graham said. He’s hopeful that these changes will reset the relationship button between tenants and the management group. “We look forward to a new chapter with the whole Bedford Park complex.”

Tenants of Bedford Park Manor agreed to update the housing committee at the May meeting with a progress report. John Snider, the committee chair who presided over the March 12 committee meeting, sought to hold The Stagg Group accountable, though true ownership of reporting basic problems will rest on the tenants.

With one Stagg building slated to open in Norwood, and another under construction in Norwood, Snider hopes the situation in the current buildings won’t be mirrored in the buildings that they’re building” in the neighborhood. “It’s something we’ll be monitoring very closely,” said Snider.

Additional reporting by David Cruz.