Tenants at Bedford Park’s Tracey Towers took their fight to resist a further, proposed 28%+ rent hike to City Hall on July 15, providing testimony on the ongoing repair problems they face at the Mitchel Lama building. Residents are especially frustrated by the latest rent hike proposal given the numerous complaints they say have been filed regarding the longstanding, required structural and other repairs, especially those relating to broken elevators, flooding and leaks.

 

As reported, the 40-story, twin-tower complex, located at 20 and 40 West Mosholu Parkway South, opened in 1974, and is part of NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD)’s Mitchell Lama affordable rental and cooperative program for moderate and middle-income families. Comprising 871 one, two, and three-bedroom affordable apartments, it was at one point, and may still be, the second largest Bronx co-op in the City, according to HPD. Throwing fuel on the fire is the approval by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board on June 25 of a rent freeze for other rent-stabilized apartments across the city.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V1 Video by Síle Moloney

The buildings, which are zoned as commercial real estate, are owned by Tracey Towers Housing Co. Inc., with an address in Elmont, NY. The company last entered into an Undertaking for Collective Investment (UCI) with the City of New York in 2018. Similar to a property fund, a UCI facilitates investment in large-scale commercial, residential, or industrial real estate portfolios without the need to purchase or manage the physical buildings themselves.

 

City records show a mortgage of $200,000 in respect of the property, which includes two lots and some additional vacant, residential land. Tracey Towers Housing Co. Inc. and the City of New York also entered into an assignment of leases and rents in 2018.

The towers are home to a large, senior largely retired community who are active voters. They are also home to a substantial Ghanaian immigrant community. In April 2016, residents said an audit of Tracey Towers repairs was warranted after the Towers underwent a $40 million renovation over four years under its building management firm, RY Management. The repairs followed an imposed incremental 62.5% rent hike.

 

In 2022, Norwood News reported on various complaints raised by tenants, along with violations identified at the housing complex and NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) and RY Management, duly responded to our requests for comment at the time.

In light of the tenants’ latest concerns over the steep proposed rent hike amid the ongoing need for repairs, HPD Commissioner Nicole Levy and her team, joined by local Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), visited the Towers on June 3 to outline plans for the various phases of the plans for the repairs and to hear directly from tenants, before being given a tour of the buildings. A similar tour had taken place last year when former City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and current running mate of Gov. Kathy Hochul, paid a visit to the towers.

 

Prior to Levy’s tour, one elderly male tenant insisted on getting his question in, asking the commissioner if an audit of RY Management’s expenditures for maintenance, repairs, and security at Tracy Tower had been conducted. “If not, I strongly recommend that a comprehensive, independent audit be completed before any loan application submitted by RY Management is approved or funded,” the resident said.

The referenced loan [from HPD] is seemingly needed to cover the required repairs at the building. The commissioner responded, “So, the loan is not actually being made to the management company. It’s being made to the building. So, that’s the owners of the building. So, the manager doesn’t really have the authority to apply for a loan or receive a loan from HPD. We can only lend to the owners of the property.”

 

Levy said she didn’t have an answer on whether RY had been audited as a management company. A HPD representative made reference to something along the lines of duplicate administrative audits, and committed to putting the matter on HPD’s list [of follow-up items].

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V2 Video by Síle Moloney

Another tenant alleged that when tenants call 311, instead of 311 bringing complaints to HPD or RY Management, “they” go after the tenants for complaining, or don’t pick up. The tenant said he’s been a resident at Tracey Towers during the first three rent increases and that the roof was allegedly supposed to have been fixed and funded by one of the increases. He alleged it was not, and that tenants are being charged again for roofing, elevators, hallways and more.

 

Seemingly in reference to a rent increase exemption, the tenant said he has one family member who works and one family member who’s on disability, and was informed he is ineligible for the exemption. It’s unclear if the tenant was referring to SCRIE (the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) or something else. We are attempting to reach him to clarify. The SCRIE program freezes rent for older eligible adults, preventing further legal rent increases.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V3 Video by Síle Moloney

Another tenant referenced a loan of $38 million that is seemingly needed from HPD for repairs. He alleged tenants were finding out about this indirectly and called for greater transparency around the funding needs for the building. Norwood News understands tenants did receive a recent letter pre-advising them of a proposed future rent increase and have requested a redacted copy of same. We will share more details upon receipt.

 

The tenant alleged they were told the rent increase was to cover the mortgage because payments have allegedly fallen behind. He asked how this happened. There was then some discussion over whether the loan was actually a loan or a grant.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V4 Video by Síle Moloney

The tenant went on to allege the building was receiving grants for work that was allegedly not being done, and gave an example of putting wallpaper on the elevators, instead of repairing the actual elevators, themselves, and fixing flooding issues. The tenant alleged the flooding is not just from pipes and that when it rains, water is coming in through the walls.

 

Another tenant alleged there’s a rent increase every four years and also wanted greater transparency on how finances were being spent. The tenant alleged the body of the building is deteriorating and that the outside ramp is not stable. They also complained of rodents, saying they can’t throw the garbage out because the trash chutes are too small and that people [especially elderly residents] are not going to go down 41 flights to throw their garbage out downstairs. He said they are therefore throwing the trash in the hallway instead, causing hygiene issues.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V5 Video by Síle Moloney

Another tenant complained about an alleged $10 million needed to repair 12 elevators. The same tenant alleged the companies hired to fix the facade do poor quality work and alleged water was still coming through the walls. The tenant also alleged even getting light fixtures and light bulbs was an issue. The same tenant talked about tiles allegedly falling from the ceiling.

 

Another tenant talked about a water leak / flooding on Floor 25 of one of the towers. The tenant said the 25th floor was never repaired / fixed after that round of flooding and that this was due to a broken pipe and that there was also mold.

 

During a separate discussion in July, Tracey Towers Tenants Organization president Jean Hill told Norwood News, “Four apartments including 4K in Building 20 flooded about a month ago. It was so bad that they had to run the hose from the hallway to try to soak up the water and then run it out on the terrace to drain. He [the tenant] had to keep his apartment door open for three days.”

 

Asked what started the flooding, Hill said, “Yeah, the apartment in 5K had a washing machine and it flooded it but the rest of it is just plain pipes breaking Like this past Monday [July 20], they cut the water off at 4 o’clock because there was a pipe burst so they cut the water off. This happens all the time. Sometimes two or three times a week, they cut the water off. This is in Building 20.”

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V6 Video by Síle Moloney

Another tenant said she was promised her cabinets would be replaced and even though they were replaced, she alleged the job was not done correctly and but she gave up asking for it to be corrected in the end.

 

Another tenant complained that there are complaints that the 311 service doesn’t cover like installing a handle for a shower needed by elderly people to shower safely. She said she’d been asking for six months for the required shower grip. She lives in Apartment 23 in one of the buildings.

 

Another tenant said housing is not affordable housing when her social security and her pension pays the rent, and that she’s being asked for an increase of 28%.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V7 Video by Síle Moloney

Another tenant talking about “pitching” in the context of the building facade and asked why inspections cannot be carried out every five years to ensure everyone’s apartment walls are ok, explaining that there was a good and a bad way to secure the walls. She also complained about her toilet being replaced with a smaller one and talked about (Floors?) 31 and 30, and how new pipes were needed instead of repairs to older pipes which she said were corroded. She said she hired her own plumbers in the end for some needed repairs. She added that her first 15 years in the building were fine and that things went downhill after that.

 

Eugene Banks, another tenant, said he has been a resident of the building since it opened and said it was supposed to open in September of ’73, but from September ’73 to January ’74, the owners could not get occupancy because they couldn’t seal the building adequately due to some apparent poor construction/sealing process. He said he doesn’t know that the workers did in the end to correct the situation but he moved in on March 3, 1974.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V8 Video by Síle Moloney

Banks talked about some so-called “gook” on the walls that he said was supposed to seal the building so that no rain could get in. “This building was almost white when it started,” he said. “When they put that gook on, with the rain, the train yard, and the trains going by, the steel dust ended up in this gook on the walls. That changed the color of the building.”

 

Another young female tenant from 41G in one of the towers asked how there could be an increase in rent when she doesn’t have a stove to cook with, and alleged she had to buy her own refrigerator also. She also alleged she had water leaks in winter time with snow and water falling from the roof onto her floor. She said her apartment flooded and the water came in from the kitchen. She said the problem was came from the roof and said some of the water was vacuumed up but more remained for a month or so afterwards. She said she’s a mother and needs a stove and added that she also has had a problem with her key not working.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V9 Video by Síle Moloney

Another tenant asked what the maintenance team were doing to address repairs and alleged that when they would follow up with them, they would be told by the team that it was understood the said repairs were already completed.

 

A tenant also asked who the grounds-person was and alleged trash was not being disposed of correctly. The tenant also asked why it was so dark in the parking lot and said the security team needed to step outside their offices and take in the various problems in the buildings and outside them. The tenant also asked if tenants not disposing their garbage correctly are being fined.

HPD Commissioner Visit to Tracey Towers, Norwood, Bx, June 3, 2026 V10 Video by Síle Moloney

One tenant asked why he has to wait for management to approve replacing his own flooring in his apartment. The person said he was angry and doesn’t even want to pay his monthly rent. “Why can’t we get the service that we pay for?” the tenant asked. He said they were tired of going to court to get things done or going to the sheriff.

 

During the meeting, two of the HPD representatives accompanying the commissioner acknowledged the tenants’ frustrations and said in part, “We hear you. When you make 311 complaints, and it comes to code enforcement, we will come out and take a look, and you are absolutely right. It’s management’s responsibility to go out and make those repairs. HPD will come in with our department, and if we come out and do emergency repairs, what will happen is, they will charge the buildings, and the reason why we’re talking today is because of the $10 million that was allocated in the grant by your elected official, and that being included with a larger loan in order to address the repairs.”

The HPD rep said the issues were supposed to have been addressed years before. Referencing the figure of $38 million that’s needed for repairs, she added in part, “We can’t speak to that right now. We can only speak to what’s in front of us, and the repairs that are supposed to be starting this year.”

 

The HPD rep said the rent increase was needed for operating expenses and that insurance has continued to increase “throughout the affordable housing portfolio.” She added in part, “But again, at Tracey, it’s also paying all of the other operating expenses, including mortgage, but mortgage is just one piece. We’re seeing across the portfolio that the operating expenses are increasing throughout the portfolio.”

In response to a question about whether it was a loan or a grant that was needed for the repairs, the HPD rep’s response was confusing. She said in part, “So the increase is not related to the loan. The increase is related to the operating expenses. The loan is a grant that is not part of the rent increase. The debt service is from previous loans. This loan has no debt service.”

 

Pushed again on the point about a loan versus a grant and that either way, repairs were not allegedly being done, the HPD rep said in part, “That’s exactly part of the Phase I repairs or the elevators, but also the facade, because that’s part of the problem. You have sidewalk bridging everywhere. We want to get rid of that, but we need to make sure that the leaks aren’t coming from the side. To be clear, the grants that we got from the assembly member, which we’re very grateful for, those have to go through a ‘loan closing’.” The rep talked about the money from the loan not being yet available until the end of the month and that this impacted about the overall financing arrangements.

For his part, the councilman said Tracey Towers residents deserve to live with dignity and affordability. “We brought Commissioner Levy here to hear their concerns directly about a rate increase of 28%, alongside serious quality-of-life issues and capital issues, broken elevators daily, mold, water damage, water leaks, you name it; it’s in this building. So, I’m grateful that the commissioner came, and I will always continue to fight for the residents of Tracey Towers and work with the administration for their benefit.”

 

Dinowitz added in part, “When Mayor Mamdani ran on a agenda of affordability and rent freeze, those values cannot go by the wayside when it comes to our Mitchel Lama housing. He cannot abandon those values when it comes to our existing affordable housing stock, and we need to make proper investments in our Mitchell Lama housing.”

 

Dinowitz went on to say that HPD will be involved in making sure that the contractor [hired to carry out the necessary repair work] is doing right by the tenants.

 

In terms of financing by elected officials, he referenced funding from Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 10). We understand this is the referenced $10 million but are checking with the assemblyman. Dinowitz also said funding had been set aside at City Council level in the City budget for Mitchel Lama capital improvements, and added that Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) had also been “extremely supportive of Tracey Towers” at the federal level.

Norwood News has also reached out to Espaillat and to State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) who also represents the towers, to ask about what funding has been allocated to the complex and will share any feedback we receive. “But to get a 28% rate increase is just unconscionable,” Dinowitz concluded.

 

Norwood News also asked the councilman about the transparency that the tenants had raised concerns over. Dinowitz said that the commissioner had said that Phase I would include the elevators. He also referenced legislation he passed so that residents would receive the SCRIE form in the mail, filled out already for them, so that if there is a rent increase, seniors who qualify can more easily apply for exemptions. “That’s going to save tons of tons of money for residents here at Tracey Towers and within our Mitchell Lama housing stock throughout the city,” he said.

 

After addressing the tenants, the commissioner and her colleagues were given a tour of the buildings. A member of her team advised Norwood News that the tour was to be a private one, and that HPD would follow up later to let us know what it consisted of and what was discussed.

 

Norwood News has followed up with HPD for an update since the visit and has not received any feedback. Additionally, we had asked HPD what actions have been taken, if any, by HPD since the visit to address the various concerns raised by the tenants. We have also followed up with RY Management with similar questions. We will share any feedback we receive.

Norwood News reached out to NYC Department of Buildings regarding a list of around 53 elevator violations to ask why seemingly all the 53 violations had been dismissed and a representative said, “In order for a violation to be resolved, the building owner (or contractor, in the case of many construction-related violations) needs to submit a Certificate of Correction to DOB. A violation can remain open even after a respondent pays the associated penalty if the respondent does not take the final step of submitting the Certificate of Correction.”

 

He added, “Penalties for unresolved issues can increase through the issuance of additional violations if the violating conditions are found to be persisting. DOB cannot determine without an inspection why a building is having recurring issues with its elevators. Please note that property owners have a legal responsibility to properly maintain their buildings, a responsibility which includes the requirement to retain the services of an elevator maintenance company in order to keep any elevators at the property in safe and operable service.”

 

On July 22, The Read Deal reported that six landlords are suing the Rent Guidelines Board in New York Supreme Court over its June 2026 decision to freeze rents in stabilized apartments.

Rent stabilization is a form of rent regulation, according to NYC Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit (PEU) and helps combat the City’s housing crisis by making sure some units remain affordable. According to PEU, almost half of all rental apartments in New York City are rent stabilized and are most often located in buildings containing 6 or more units, built before 1974.

 

Rent stabilization can be determined by checking for example if the rent stabilization clause is written into a lease, if the rent amount is not not a round number e.g. $2176.43 instead of $2100 and if rent stabilization is reflected in an apartment’s rent history. Request an apartment’s rent history here.  In the Bronx, in-scope buildings are listed here though the list does not indicate which apartments in these buildings are rent stabilized, but rather, only those buildings that contain at least one rent stabilized unit.

 

Meanwhile, Christina Smyth, founding partner with Smyth Levenson LLP, said last month, that there is “not a single housing provider active on LinkedIn who is shocked that Tracey Towers requires a 30.59% rent increase.” She added, “As the only actual Landlord Rep on the RGB, I’ll get steamrolled for proposing 3-5% for the good, hardworking owners who house over 2 million New Yorkers.”

 

Smyth continued, “If you watch last night’s public hearing in Queens, several tenants legitimately wondered why there isn’t already a freeze, since they voted for Mamdani solely for that purpose. Misleading and financially wreckless [reckless] campaign promises. For all eyes to see: 30.59% needed to sustain Tracey Towers.”

 

For his part, Noah Levenson, co-founding partner with Smyth Levenson, added in part, “Tracey Towers is a Mitchell-Lama cooperative, which was specifically created to provide affordable housing for middle and moderate-income New Yorkers. It is part of NYC’s affordable housing stock. And even this bldg needs 30% to stay afloat.”

Given the recent announcement by the Rent Guidelines Board of a two-year rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments in New York City, we also asked if HPD had any comment on the fact that Mitchel Lama tenants feel they are not being treated fairly/equally. We will share any feedback we receive.

 

There have been a few fires reported at the towers over the years, as reported, along with other tragedies. Tracey Towers residents marked the 50th anniversary of the towers in 2024, as reported.

 

Longtime Tracey Towers resident, who was also a member of the 52nd Precinct Community Council and Jerome Gun Hill BID, Sallie Caldwell, died in 2023.

 

In 2019, health officials provided onsite testing for Tracey Towers tenants amid a previous outbreak of Legionnaires’ cases, which, according to NYC Department of Health, has caused some deaths across the City this year.