Fire Rips Through Building, Complicating Tenants’ Active Lawsuit

By DAVID CRUZ

Amid a legal battle with their landlord, tenants of an apartment building were thrown a curveball when their Bedford Park home they’re fighting to stay in went up in flames. The fire at 267 East 202nd St. injured ten people and killed a family dog. FDNY initially said the cause of the fire was electrical, with a tenant’s air conditioner to blame. The home was left vulnerable, as no fire alarms were functioning. The fire marshal’s office is now conducting an investigation. News of the fire, resulting in the building deemed unlivable, complicates a bitter lawsuit filed by tenants who attempted

By DAVID CRUZ

A state agency that oversees administrative decisions for Mitchell-Lama cooperatives has told the Board of Directors of Park Reservoir to comply with rules when it comes to changing management firms. The latest comes as a majority of board members for the Van Cortlandt Village complex seek to officially replace its longtime management company, Amalgamated Housing Cooperatives, at a board meeting scheduled Sept. 11. The letter could delay the vote, resulting in board members starting its vetting process all over again and giving supporters of Amalgamated more time to hammer out any differences. In a two-page letter obtained by the Norwood News, the

With more than 2,300 housing violations and a muddled reputation, the time had come for New York City’s worst landlord to take his place on the hot seat. Ved Parkash, long dubbed the worst landlord in New York City by the Public Advocate’s annual worst landlord’s watchlist, finally met with some of his residents in a Q&A forum at the Concourse House at 196th Street and the Grand Concourse in Bedford Park on July 12. For his part, Parkash sat in the center by his lonesome, left to answer tough questions from raging tenants. The Parkash Tenant Coalition, a

Hello Faithful Readers, The month-long edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of Bronx community news you can use. With our July-August edition, are some interesting stories intended to pique your interest. We first begin in Bedford Park with a tenants meeting involving Ved Parkash, dubbed the city’s worst landlord. Hear what tenants living in his buildings had to say about conditions, which have drawn the ire of city officials. Also, hear what Mr. Parkash had to say of his buildings. Moving into the pages of the edition you’ll read up on Mosholu Montefiore Community Center‘s respected executive director,

The fate of a well-respected management firm that’s provided services to a Mitchell Lama complex in Kingsbridge was put on hold by the building’s board of directors who seek to replace them. For some 60 years, Amalgamated Houses has been tethered to Park Reservoir, the first Mitchell Lama cooperative in the Bronx. It offers amenities that include community get-togethers, and custodial services such as pre-dawn snow shoveling during the winter season. Tenants fear those services will be diminished should a new management firm be hired. “The board felt there was a lot of confusion and anger at them so they

By DAVID CRUZ

An enormous but barren parcel of land at the southwestern tip of the Bronx is one step closer towards development by the city, testing interest in the waterfront while advancing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s overall vision for the South Bronx. The 158,000-square-foot property, settled at the shadow of the Major Deegan Expressway and Bronx Terminal Market near 149th Street, represents one of the city’s larger available spaces in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The city, through a Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI), is envisioning a whopping 40-story, mixed-used affordable housing complex overlooking the Harlem River. RFEI’s are a precursor

This week we asked readers their thoughts on the delay of redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory into an ice skating center, and if they think the project will ever be completed. I think an ice skating rink should be built there; it would be fun. There’s not many over here. Most of them are far away, like Manhattan. I honestly think they want to build something else there, they don’t want to build a skating rink. I heard some saying it was a waste of money, that once they build it, no one would go. Jahira Davis Yonkers I

By TATYANA TURNER and DAVID CRUZ

With the northeast Bronx still facing the highest number of foreclosures in the borough, a local councilman proposes a plan that could stave off foreclosures, coinciding with a larger goal with city officials. Councilman Andy King, representing the 11th Council District, is turning to extending the deadline on lien sales from one to two years. Liens, a collection of unpaid debts that could include water bills, are given at least one year to be paid off by the city Finance Department. As it stands, liens are typically sold to a lien servicing company after one year. The buyer can attach

By DAVID CRUZ

For the past six months, the small band of tenants at 267 E. 202nd St., a 2-story apartment building, have dealt with an uncertainty that hasn’t quite been resolved: are they staying or going? It’s a question that’s been on the minds of these tenants who’ve built lives there for as long as 30 years. “Everybody’s been living in that building for so long,” said Cynthia Garcia, a tenant and single mother of two children. “Everybody’s like family.” The piece of property, resting at the tip of Briggs Avenue in a sleepy part of Bedford Park, remains a source of