STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — While it was recently announced that the Park Hill Apartments was sold to new owners, problems persist in the federally-subsidized housing complex: On the coldest days of the year many residents have no heat.
For the past three days, while temperatures have plummeted into the single digits, a 30-year-old resident of 240 Park Hill said she and her two daughters, ages 7 and 8, have been living without heat. The single mother said she has repeatedly called maintenance and has been told the boiler for the building is being repaired.
“This situation is inhumane, especially with children involved, and it feels like no one is listening,” said the single mom, who is employed by New York City and pays $1600 per month for her rat-infested apartment with broken appliances.
“I’m telling them [maintenance] we are freezing; my daughters are crying all day. We have three pairs of socks on, and we have thermals under pajamas and we have jackets on inside the house because it’s freezing here. I have been boiling hot water so the house can be warm, and still it’s not working. It feels like five degrees or six degrees in here,” said the resident.
The single mom, who is employed by New York City, said she pays $1600 per month for her rat-infested apartment. For the past three days, while temperatures have plummeted into the single digits, she has repeatedly called maintenance and has been told the boiler for the building is being repaired. (Getty Images)Avalon via Getty Images
The woman told the Advance/SILive.com her neighbors are without heat as well. In fact, she has been looking for a homeless shelter for her 63-year-old neighbor, who only speaks Spanish, because she and her dogs are so cold.
When an Advance/SILive.com reporter reached out to the maintenance office in the building, a representative said the boiler was being worked on and he didn’t know when it would be fixed. When asked if there was any help for the freezing residents he said: “That’s what we are trying to do. I can’t talk right now, I’m too busy.”
This is just another situation residents of the eight-building apartment complex have had to endure. Many have lived with decades of neglect regarding the inadequate, unsanitary living conditions.
Ownership change
In late December, the Arker Companies announced that the new ownership group, which also includes L+M Development Partners and LIHC Investment Group, will perform a massive $165 million renovation of the Park Hill Apartments over the next two years.
The previous owner of the Park Hill Apartments, Michael Shah, who is the founder and CEO of DelShah Capital, told the Advance/SILive.com that the complex “was sold to the best affordable housing developers in the city.”
Shah’s relationship with the Arker Companies dates back more than a decade, when the company acquired and rehabilitated another apartment complex he previously owned — Terrace Gardens on Steuben Street in Concord.
Earlier this month, the Arker Companies invited the Advance/SILive.com to an exclusive tour of the Terrace Gardens apartments to highlight the improvements they’ve made and offer a small glimpse into what the future of Park Hill could look like.
“We did approximately a two-year renovation here at Terrace Gardens, which was really transformational. The changes were significant. There was a lot of deferred capital needs here,” said Simon Bacchus, director of development for The Arker Companies.
The full renovation of the Park Hill Apartments, which is expected to be completed by January 2028, will include many of the same improvements that were implemented at Terrace Gardens; renovated apartments and common areas, facade and roof improvements, boiler replacements, modernized elevators and improved parking areas.
An Advance/SILive.com reporter was not able to immediately reach a representative of the Arker Company for comment on the heat situation.