A bill designed to enhance the 311 complaint management system cosponsored by Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11) was adoped into law on Feb. 22, and though residents of Council District 11 welcome the news, getting property owners to act on 311 complaints and clean up their properties is still a major challenge according to residents.

 

The councilman, who represents Bedford Park, Norwood, Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge, Riverdale-Spuyten Duyvil, Wakefield-Woodlawn, Woodlawn Cemetery and Van Cortlandt Park, said Local Law 13 of 2025 (previously Bill No. 0587A-2024) requires the 311 Customer Service Center to conduct customer satisfaction surveys after each 311 call is deemed resolved, complete, or closed. It also requires the center to provide the customer with an option to ask for the request or complaint to be reopened.

 

Eighteen other council members also cosponsored the bill which was unanimously approved by the full City Council in January. With the enactment of the law, the 311 Resolution Satisfaction (RSAT) Online Dashboard became available to the public. The councilman said the dashboard compiles feedback from New Yorkers on how well city agencies resolve 311 complaints, providing real data on service effectiveness across different problem areas.

“All too often, I’ve heard that cases are closed prematurely or the result says ‘resolved’ when it hasn’t been,” Dinowitz said. “The newly unveiled 311 RSAT provides valuable insight into how New Yorkers perceive the resolution of their service requests. With an average satisfaction score of 36 out of 100, the data underscores the need for improved responsiveness and resolution quality across city agencies.”

 

He added, “Because of my bill, 311 users can voice whether they were satisfied with how the complaint was handled AND let you see the data of the survey. That’s good government in action.”

 

Additionally, the new law ensures City agencies are held accountable for the various services they provide, and empowers residents with a greater role in evaluating government responsiveness. It aggregates the 311 users’ satisfaction ratings applied to each agency’s handling / resolution of a 311 service request, and calculates a score by service request type based on these ratings. The dashboard can be accessed here.

 

On Thursday, March 13, Norwood resident Sirio Guerino logged Service Request Number 311-22228863 with NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) about dirty conditions / trash left in and around the tree pits and trash bins at 320 East 204th Street in Norwood by Decatur Avenue.

DSNY closed the complaint, providing the following update, “NYC Department of Sanitation will address the situation at the location by providing educational outreach about proper sanitation procedures.” Guerino was not happy with the response, writing to local community board members and others,  saying, “Damn it. Norwood needs SUMMONS, NOT educational outreach. what B*LLSH*T!!!!!!”

 

Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) District Manager Karla Cabrera Carrera responded, explaining that the agency does issue summonses to property owners after first engaging with them on their responsibilities to adhere to proper sanitation practices. The district manager encouraged residents to continue to submit 311 complaints to report similar problems.

 

In the context of Cabrera’s comments, Betty Arce, Bronx CB7’s Sanitation committee chair, added, “So, if they fail to clean up after being ‘educated,’ they’ll receive a summons. I hope DSNY does this soon because I’m sure the sidewalk will continue to need cleaning.”

 

According to DSNY‘s website, property owners must clean sidewalks (including areas like tree pits, grass strips, etc.) and gutter areas (18 inches from the curb into the street) along the building perimeter. Failure to do so can lead to fines of up to $100.

 

“Litter and sweepings must be picked up and placed in bins with secure lids for collection,” DSNY officials wrote. “Public DSNY litter baskets may not be used for this purpose. We inspect sidewalks during specific times of the day. Sidewalk cleaning enforcement times depend on the type of property.”

They continued, “Although enforcement agents will issue tickets for dirty sidewalks and gutters only during the specified time periods, they may issue tickets for all other violations at any time. Our employees may not be obstructed when they are sweeping or cleaning a street or removing trash, recycling, snow, or ice. Violators may be fined.”

 

Norwood News visited the site in question on Friday, March 14, and found the street sidewalk clean but the treepit still filled with trash, as per the attached photos. We visited again on Saturday, March 15, and found the tree pits clean.

 

Norwood News had also contacted DSNY in January about trash left on the sidewalk in front of 3109 – 3123 Bainbridge Avenue, the now demolished site of a commerical fire that broke out on October 10, 2023, decimating several small businesses along the avenue by East 206th Street, and which has become an eyesore.

 

DSNY said at the time, “We inspected this location this morning [Jan. 27]. This is private property and the responsibility of the property owner.” DSNY asked us if we had contacted the property owner and we confirmed that we have tried several times but to no avail. DSNY continued, “Even though there is a responsible party here, the property owner, when we find unsanitary conditions in a lot such as this, we work with the Department of Health to have it cleaned.”

 

They continued, “We start by requesting that a DOHMH Commissioner’s Order to Abate be sent to the property owner. We then return approximately two weeks later and, if we still find the unsanitary conditions, we will issue a summons, schedule it for cleaning, and bill the owner for our work abating the health nuisance.”

DSNY added, “In this case, a DOHMH letter has been sent. Given that the lot is fenced and locked, we will also have to pursue an Access Warrant. This may take several weeks, depending on whether the owner is responsive, but we are continuing to monitor in the meantime.”

 

Norwood News observed that the referenced access order for the inspection and abatement of the site petitioned by the City’s health department dated Feb. 28 was indeed requested through the courts, and a copy of the order was seen afixed to the site on March 15. Accordingly, the inspection and abatement was due to take place no earlier than 12 business days from the date of the order.

 

According to DSNY, the property owner, Bainbridge Realty Associates, with an address at 1122 Avenue J in Brooklyn, was also advised of the order, which is no longer affixed to the site as of May 30. The area inside/behind the barrier now appears somewhat cleaner than it did on March 15. However, trash was still seen on the sidewalk in front of the site.

 

Meanwhile, as reported, Norwood News launched a Freedom of Information request with the FDNY to request a copy of the fire report which should include the cause of the October 2023 fire, and despite following up with the department on several occasions, we have never received the requested report.

 

We followed up again on March 14, and will share any feedback we receive. We had also requested and followed up on the cause of the Oct. 31, 2009 commercial fire (16 years ago) at nearby East 205th and East 206th streets, also in Norwood. FDNY responded on March 14, saying, “Under investigation.”

 

Meanwhile, as reported, we have been trying for several years now to reach Bainbridge Realty Associates for comment on what’s happening with the former commercial site, without success. A visit to the company’s registered address at 1122 Avenue J in Brooklyn on March 28 found no sign of any office at the location, neither indicated on the building nor listed on the buzzer.

 

We spoke to two other business owners/managers/employees at the Brooklyn address (with the ground floor hair salon in person, and with one of the businesses located on one of the higher floors via the intercom) and asked if they were aware of Bainbridge Realty Associates ever having had an office at the location and were informed that, to their knowledge, it had not. We are now following up with the Division of Corporations at New York State on the matter.

 

As CVS pharmacy on Bainbridge Avenue was one of the buildings which incurred some damage during the referenced October 2023 fire, though it was not destroyed like the others, in April, we spoke with a CVS manager and asked if they had received any communication from Bainbridge Realty Associates about the fire or if they knew what was happening with the site.

 

The manager said he had to check internally with an area manager but said he believed there hadn’t been much contact  with the property owner and that CVS was also anxious to hear more from them as there was also an issue with trash in front of CVS. Norwood News indeed witnessed a fair amount of trash in front of the store on May 30. We will share any further updates we receive from the CVS area manager should he contact us.

 

Residents had also complained about a build-up of trash on the sidewalk in an area next to 203 East 205th Street, located between East Mosholu Parkway South and the Grand Concourse in Bedford Park, a 3-family, residential property owned by 203 East Realty LLC, with an address in Great Neck, NY. “The trash has been growing again and we have been continuously adding 311 complaints,” a resident previously wrote of the issue.

“At this time, we are asking to review the policy for property owners, especially when it comes to trash management; $50 a violation and $100 violation is not acceptable,” the resident continued. “As a property owner, myself, that is not a big deal. I would like to see that changed from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. These are investment properties and they are investors. They are not owner occupied.”

 

Norwood News followed up with DSNY in January regarding the location. Press Secretary Vincent Gragnani responded on Jan. 16, saying, “The property at East 205th Street and Lisbon Place is private property and the owner’s responsibility. In the last month alone, we have issued 14 summonses and, because it is a public nuisance, we cleaned this property three times.”

 

He added, “We will continue to monitor and issue summonses, if warranted. Note also that the $50-$100 fine amounts are set by laws passed by the City Council. To ensure greater compliance among repeat commercial offenders, the Council recently increased the fines for commercial properties that flout the law over and over again, and the Department of Sanitation applauded the new law as a means of holding offenders accountable.”

 

If the property in question is being rented out for commercial purposes, we asked DSNY if, therefore, it is subject to increased fines and will share any updates we receive.

 

Meanwhile, we followed up with DOB and were advised that City records indicate the building is a residential one with three dwelling units. “If the owner of the building rents out the dwelling units to residential tenants, that does mean the property has become a commercial building,” a DOB spokesperson said. “The property remains ‘residential’.”

DOB officials said they were not aware of any zoning violations at the property and that if a member of the public has concerns about the legality of the building as it pertains to zoning, they are encouraged to let DOB know by filing a 311 complaint so that the agency can route inspectors to investigate.

 

A neighbor told Norwood News she has often seen young people (estimated to be teens) coming and going from the property, saying they were sometimes running up and down the external fire escape. At some point over the course of the last few months, a call was placed with the NYPD by a resident of East 205th Street, reporting a possible DV incident inside the 203 East 205th Street building after the same resident heard a lot of commotion one night and a person seemingly inside the building calling for help.

 

When police arrived, as they began to walk towards the front door of the building to make some inquiries, a young person burst out the door and raced around the corner along East 205th Street toward Mosholu Parkway. The officers pursued them on foot and by car. We’ve asked the NYPD for an update as to what happened. We did not receive any immediate feedback.

Meanwhile, news of the new dashboard was also welcomed by the local community boards based in Bronx City Council District 11. “The launch of the 311 Resolution Satisfaction Dashboard marks an important milestone in strengthening public trust in local government,” said Cabrera Carrera.

 

“This new tool will provide Bronx residents with greater insight into how their concerns are being addressed. We commend Council Member Dinowitz for his dedication to ensuring our communities have the resources to stay informed and engaged,” she added. Bronx CB7 covers some or all of the neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Fordham Manor, Jerome Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Mosholu Parkway, Norwood, and University Heights.

 

For her part, Bronx Community Board 8 District Manager Farrah Kule Rubin said, “Local Law 13 is a significant step forward in improving government transparency and responsiveness. This online dashboard will empower our residents by providing a clear and accessible way to track how their concerns are being addressed.”

She added, “This initiative ensures that our communities are not only heard but see real accountability in action.” Bronx CB8 covers some or all of the neighborhoods of Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, and Van Cortlandt Village.”

 

“The enactment of Local Law 13 is a major step forward in strengthening government accountability and transparency for our communities,” said Bronx Community Board 12 District Manager, George Torres. We commend Council Member Dinowitz for authoring and championing this legislation, ensuring that community concerns are not just heard but actively addressed. ”

 

Bronx CB12 covers the neighborhoods of Baychester, Eastchester, Edenwald, Fishbay, Olinville, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, and Woodlawn, though only Woodlawn and Wakefield fall within Council District 11. “This is a win for good governance and for the people of The Bronx.” Torres added.

 

DSNY remind residents that dead rodents should be reported to 311.

The councilman hosted a special Holocaust Remembrance event at City hall at the end of January to mark the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in Poland at the end of World War II.