Bronx residents of four apartment buildings at Botanical Square in Bedford Park have been without a gas service for over a year since a Webster Avenue water main on Dec. 16, 2024, caused havoc in the local area, as reported at the time.

 

On Saturday, Jan. 31, David Ruiz, a resident of 2985 Botanical Square told Norwood News, “We still don’t have gas and it’s going on for the whole 13 months.” Besides preparing meals on a hot plate, provided by the management company, Residential Management, for his wife, mother, and himself, due to the ongoing gas outage, Ruiz alleged the building’s new oil-fueled boiler heating system, installed in the building’s basement in December 2025, is not doing the job.

 

“They put in this new boiler, but the apartments are cold,” Ruiz said.  “It’s not heating the apartment. It’ll come up for a little while and then it will turn off. Like right now, there’s no heat on and the apartment is getting cold because the temperature outside is dropping down. On top of that, like I said, we have no gas, so we have to use a rotisserie to cook with or a hotplate to cook with, and that’s more electricity we’re using.”

 

Ruiz said prior to the installation of the new oil boiler in December 2025, two tractor trailers containing portable oil boilers had been stationed outside 2985 and 2995 Botanical Square for around a year and had been supplying heat and hot water to the buildings as a temporary measure. Norwood News had also witnessed them. Ruiz did not say whether those boilers had been good or bad.

 

It’s unknown how many apartments across the four buildings comprising 2958, 2965, 2985 and 2995 Botanical Square, managed by Residential Management with a Brooklyn address, are impacted but the super for 2985 and 2995 Botanical Square confirmed at least these two buildings were entirely without gas service. Asked what the problem was, the super said, “The problem is the flooding from last year [2024].” He said a new boiler was installed at 2985 Botanical Square on Dec. 15, 2025, and that everyone in the building has heat.

 

When told of Ruiz’s claim of little or no heat in that same building, the super said, “It’s working. What do you mean? It’s a new boiler there.” He affirmed, “They have heat, yeah.”

 

The super also said the gas piping in the basement had been fixed and that they were currently waiting on Con Edison to turn on the service. “Con Edison doesn’t give anybody an answer,” he said. “They say next week, two weeks, next three weeks, next month. They do whatever they want.” He added, “It’s fixed, but they don’t come to open (the gas lines). I don’t know why they take so long.”

A search by Norwood News of NYC Department of Buildings (DOB)’ records show 2985 Botanical Square owes $9,000 in DOB fines. Asked for a comment, the super replied, “I have no idea about that.”

 

DOB records also show 13 total violations for the same building, including 4 active violations, three for issues with the elevator and one for issues with “gas piping.” The fines totaling $9,000 related to the three elevator violations.

 

Meanwhile, NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) listed 109 complaints for the property in the last two years, two currently open, 74 violations of varying classes, 73 Work Orders, and 37 closed litigation cases filed by tenants (with no harassment findings).

 

A Google review of Residential Management gave the property manager a rating of 2.5 out of 5. One review, posted by Monica Ramirez, read, “Do not rent from them, they are the worst.” Meanwhile, Matthew wrote, “My living conditions have been a living nightmare for the past several years.” Summer added, “Worst people in the world. Worst management team. Worst leasing agents. Terrible people,” and Ashley Abercrombie added, “They did not disclose there was no gas in the building. Lived (there) six months while pregnant with no gas.”

 

The Better Business Bureau gave Residential Management an “F” rating “for failure to reply” to three complaints against the management company.

 

The property is owned by GL Botanical LLC, with an address at 1651 Coney Island, the same address as for Residential Management. The landlord is not listed on the landlord watchdog list of worst landlords, compiled by NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

Norwood News was at 2995 Botanical Square on Saturday, Jan. 31, after a piece of the building’s facade came crashing down onto the pavement and the fire department was called. FDNY officials reported that “partial debris fell from building” at 2.48 p.m. There were no injuries reported and fire officials roped off the area with yellow caution tape.

 

The building’s super was observed sweeping up the debris, and DOB was called to the building to inspect its façade. Norwood News has reached out to DOB for comment on the incident and will share any feedback we receive.

 

David Maggiotto, DOB deputy press secretary said that on the afternoon of Jan. 31, DOB inspectors were called to 2995 Botanical Square following reports of debris falling from a roof. “At the premises, a 6-story, mixed-use building, inspectors observed the exterior walls in disrepair with a section cement stucco measuring approximately 2 X 5 feet having fallen from the 5th floor level,” he said. “No injuries reported. Area below the damaged section was cordoned-off with caution tape at time of inspection, and egress to building was not compromised.”

 

Maggiotto continued, “DOB issued an OATH/ECB violation to the building owner for failure to maintain the exterior of the building, and ordered the building owner to provide a Professional Engineer’s report to the Department on the building’s structural stability. DOB also ordered the owner to construct approximately 40 linear feet of sidewalk shed to provide overhead protection for the area below the damaged façade.”

 

As reported, the New York City Council announced on June 20, 2024, the passage of the Billingsley Terrace Structural Integrity Act, sponsored by City Council Member Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), which is designed to establish a first-of-its-kind, proactive inspection program at NYC Department of Buildings (DOB). The bill was in response to the partial building collapse that occurred at 1915 Billingsley Terrace in Morris Heights on Dec. 11, 2023, forcing over 150 tenants to lose their homes, as reported. DOB later released its report findings on the incident.

Norwood News also attempted to reach Residential Management several times to ask questions about the gas service, complaints about lack of heat and hot water, as well as the four DOB violations, and the $9,000 in civil penalty fines it has incurred, but no one answered the phone at the Brooklyn office, and the answering machine was full.

 

The super had provided a phone number for the property agent “Manny,” but he did not pick up either and his answering machine was also full. Manny did mention a contact email address on his voicemail but didn’t spell it out and it was inaudible.

 

It is not the first time we have had difficulty connecting to property owners based in Brooklyn. As reported, after the commercial fire on Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood in 2023, Norwood News attempted unsuccessfully to reach the owner of the affected lot, Bainbridge Realty Associates LLC, for comment on several occasions and in different ways. Eventually, in 2025, we visited the owner’s physical office, also based in Brooklyn, at 1122 Avenue J. No contact information or indication that the business was located at the address could be found, as reported.

On Feb. 4, Norwood News contacted Alfonzo Quiroz, a spokesman with Con Edison, who said, “Usually, when there’s a gas outage like this, we have to wait for the building to make repairs internally before we can turn them back on. So, as soon as the buildings make their repairs, they’d let us know and then we’re able to turn the gas back on.”

 

Quiroz added, “We’re usually in touch with the plumber and with the building, and when there’s some sort of outage like this.” Norwood News has since informed Quiroz that the super said the necessary repairs were completed and have asked him for a further update. We’ll share any feedback we receive.

 

Barbara Stronczer, president of Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA), whose members include residents from Botanical Square, had been highlighting the gas issue regularly at BMCA’s monthly meetings, including on Jan. 7.

Stronczer mentioned at the same meeting that a new restaurant that had opened next to the recently opened bakery on Webster Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard, near the post office and not far from Botanical Square, had to close shortly after opening due to problems with heat in the building, but that it has since reopened once again.

 

Norwood News will continue to monitor the Botanical Square situation and share any updates we receive.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.

 

Read our latest Inquiring Photographer feature on similar issues here.