Brooklyn Heights Tenants Up in Arms Over Crumbling Apartments

Rent-stabilized tenants at the five-building Riverside complex, located at Columbia Place and Joralemon Street, held a rally to protest chronic neglect. Residents reported severe issues including rodent mite infestations, mold, collapsing ceilings, and brown water. The tenants' association is also challenging a state decision that overturned a long-standing rent freeze, which has put 20 families at risk of eviction due to rental arrears.

Local officials including Council Member Lincoln Restler and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon joined the rally, accusing the owner, Pinnacle Group, of purposeful neglect. The owner recently filed a "red herring" plan for a non-eviction condominium conversion, which advocates say is a tactic to pressure long-term tenants into leaving the 156-unit landmarked property.

Summary by Dispatch AI — read the full story at Bkreader.