{"id":112775,"date":"2026-01-26T14:27:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/112775\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:27:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:27:15","slug":"its-no-longer-safe-tenants-sue-over-conditions-at-the-times-square-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/112775\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s No Longer Safe\u201d \u2014 Tenants Sue Over Conditions at the Times Square Hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tenants of the Times Square Hotel are raising alarms about the condition and security of the city\u2019s largest supportive housing residence.<\/p>\n

\"\"Members of the Times Square Tenant\u2019s Association at a recent meeting. Photo: Brennan LaBrie<\/p>\n

Twenty-three residents of the Times Square \u2014 a former hotel on 8th Avenue that now houses low-income residents, individuals referred from shelters, and those facing mental health and substance abuse challenges \u2014 have filed a civil lawsuit<\/a> against the two nonprofits that operate the building.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the suit, filed in October, the tenants allege that Breaking Ground \u2014 the largest developer and manager of supportive housing in the city \u2014 and the Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS) have \u201cfailed to remedy multiple hazardous conditions and maintain basic building security.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the outside it looks like a normal building, but on the inside it\u2019s in disrepair,\u201d said resident Michael Mu\u00f1oz, who signed onto the lawsuit as a petitioner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The issues plaguing Mu\u00f1oz\u2019s apartment, listed in the lawsuit, reflect building-wide trends. These include a defective window, stove and fridge, leaking pipes and water damage, mold, insufficient heat in the winter and a roach infestation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\nDirty hallways and stairwells and crumbling cabinetry are among the complaints made by tenants. Photos: Brennan LaBrie<\/p>\n

The lawsuit points to the building\u2019s 143 active Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) violations<\/a>, which include roach and mice infestations, broken doors and cabinets, defective amenities like toilets and heating, mold and unsanitary conditions in public areas. The building has accumulated 477 complaints to HPD in the past two years and has been involved in 18 housing court cases since 2009.<\/p>\n

Catherine Tronzo, co-chair of the Times Square Tenants\u2019 Association, claims \u201csignificantly reduced housekeeping,\u201d including an elimination of weekend staff, has led to these \u201cfilthy and unsanitary\u201d conditions. Management\u2019s responses to complaints and work orders have been slow and inconsistent, she added, often leading to wait times of several months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Resident Kevin Reese said that he waited about five months for a new coat of paint over his peeling walls, and the job was rthen ushed and incomplete. He\u2019s still waiting for management to replace cabinetry that\u2019s been slowly crumbling since he arrived in the building in 2017, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey put in work orders, but nobody comes in to do nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Resident JJ Bell shows W42ST the conditions in her apartment. Photo: Brennan LaBrie<\/p>\n

All HPD violations have been addressed, a Breaking Ground spokesperson told W42ST, adding that many cases remain \u201copen\u201d due to a lengthy reinspection timeline and an inspection backlog dating back to the pandemic. A \u201cheightened level of oversight\u201d on the building by city and state agencies, they said, results in a volume of citations \u201cnot unusual for a property of this scale and age.\u201d Requests that pertain to \u201ccosmetic\u201d issues, like wear and tear on cabinetry, may not be prioritized, they added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Breaking Ground said claims that management has been unresponsive to tenant concerns were untrue. \u201cSince the Times Square Tenants\u2019 Association formed in May 2025, we have remained in ongoing communication with its leadership through regular meetings and extensive correspondence to address concerns raised,\u201d they said. \u201cIn response, we implemented a new complaint-tracking system to ensure all issues are logged and addressed, with a guaranteed response within 10 business days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among 24 categories of building-wide issues listed in the lawsuit, security sits at the top of tenant concerns. They allege that, between a broken front gate, lax guest screening and a perceived drop in security presence across the building, they feel unprotected from outside threats and volatile tenants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe building is open \u2014 you sometimes don\u2019t know what to expect or who to expect.\u201d Mu\u00f1oz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"In the halls of the building\u2019s eighth floor. Photo: Brennan LaBrie<\/p>\n

Breaking Ground said it is researching replacements for the building\u2019s \u201caging access system,\u201d which it claims has been victim to \u201crepeated vandalism.\u201d The spokesperson denies any reduction in 24-hour security presence and adds that all visitors are screened upon entry.<\/p>\n

Tronzo and Mu\u00f1oz both said they witness frequent fights in the building\u2019s lobby, with little to no intervention by security staff. Mu\u00f1oz has personally been threatened with violence in the elevator. Both added that these incidents have increased since the pandemic, when they noticed more new tenants experiencing mental health issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe building has changed,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz said. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer safe.\u201d Violent threats, screaming episodes, trashed apartments and urine and feces found in the hallways are just some of the incidents that residents say have increased in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to sleep at night \u2014 there\u2019s too much noise,\u201d said Reese, who has also experienced people overdosing and passing out in front of his door.<\/p>\n

The building\u2019s violent incidents have received citywide coverage before, including the 2024 stabbing death<\/a> of a 55-year-old tenant by a neighbor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is not the first time the safety of a Hell\u2019s Kitchen Breaking Ground property has been called into question by tenants. In November 2023, a 71-year old was stabbed to death by his roommate<\/a> at the Dorothy Ross Friedman Residence on W57th Street, then managed by Breaking Ground and the Entertainment Community Fund<\/a>. In the aftermath, residents shared longstanding concerns<\/a> about their safety with W42ST, which they said were ignored by building management.<\/p>\n

While Times Square tenants have perceived a rise in higher-need residents in recent years, Breaking Ground says the tenant mix at the building has remained largely unchanged. Since purchasing the former hotel in 1991, the organization has consistently designated 50-60 percent of units for individuals experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, or substance use disorders, a spokesperson said. The remaining apartments are reserved for low-income residents, with eligibility criteria set by the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tenant population at the Times Square has remained consistent for more than 35 years,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cWhat has changed across the sector is the overall acuity of needs, including increased mental health crises and substance use \u2014 a trend widely recognized by housing providers and public agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nThe Times Square is Breaking Ground\u2019s flagship supportive housing residence with 652 units for low-income and formerly homeless adults, persons with serious mental illness, and persons living with HIV\/AIDS. Photos: Breaking Ground<\/p>\n

Amid those broader pressures, Breaking Ground is continuing to expand its footprint citywide. Earlier this month, the organization and Slate Property Group acquired the Stewart Hotel<\/a> at 7th Avenue and W31st Street, with plans to convert the building into 575 affordable apartments \u2014 part of a broader effort to increase supportive and affordable housing capacity as demand grows across the city.<\/p>\n

At the Times Square, Breaking Ground and the Center for Urban Community Services say they have increased and adapted on-site support and services in response to rising needs, while also \u201cprioritizing the safety of residents and staff.\u201d Tenants like Tronzo, however, say those efforts have fallen short. \u201cSome of these people need more structure and protection,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

On top of declines in building conditions and safety, tenants say services that foster health and community in the building \u2014 like the art room, gym and rooftop garden \u2014 have had hours cut, while other amenities like the library have been shuttered. Front desk hours have also become inconsistent, resulting in increased package theft, Mu\u00f1oz said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just seems like everything has been downsized and is a skeleton of what it used to be,\u201d Tronzo said. Breaking Ground did not offer comment on hour reductions due to ongoing legal proceedings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TimesThe art room, an amenity enjoyed by many tenants, is closed, along with the library. Photo: Brennan LaBrie <\/p>\n

More than 30 tenants have filed an application for rent reduction based on decreased building-wide services through the state\u2019s Division of Housing and Community Renewal. Meanwhile, 100 tenants signed a letter to Breaking Ground CEO and President Brenda Rosen requesting a meeting to express their concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The tenants association is also in conversation with the offices of Councilmember Erik Bottcher and Assemblymember Tony Simone, and is awaiting their next court appearance on February 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a group, we just want to live in a safe, clean, functioning home like anyone else,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tenants of the Times Square Hotel are raising alarms about the condition and security of the city\u2019s largest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112776,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[50266,75,84,83,28673,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-112775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-breakingground","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-mentalhealth","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}