On April 8, tenants at 2201-05 Davidson Ave. in University Heights announced they had completed the final step in transferring ownership of their building from a negligent landlord to a partnership between a nonprofit and the city—paving the way for residents to eventually become cooperative shareholders.
This marks the first time in seven years that the city has removed a building from its owner, and the planned conversion into a co-op is an even rarer move, according to organizers with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), who worked with residents over nearly ten years.
Tenants celebrated the milestone with a press conference alongside Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who chairs the Committee on Housing and Buildings, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and organizers with NWBCCC.
“Landlords, take notice,” said Williams, whose office creates the annual Worst Landlords watchlist. “We’re coming for you. If you do this behavior time and time again, we’re coming for you.”
Longtime tenants said they have been dealing for years with mold, water damage, heat and hot water outages, pests, partial ceiling collapses, elevator outages, dirty common areas and more at the rent-stabilized, 49-unit building.
The New York City-based nonprofit Neighborhood Restore, which has preserved over 10,500 units of affordable housing in 1,700 buildings since 1999, is now the interim owner of 2201 and 2205 Davidson Ave., and Lemle & Wolff Companies is the sponsoring developer in the process known as third-party transfer.
Former owners David Kornitzer and Dov Guttman, who could not be reached for comment, face 638 open housing code violations with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) for the Davidson buildings. Tenants sued in 2024 seeking remedy for the violations and have now escalated to the highest possible level. Kornitzer and Guttman also owe the city nearly $28 million in back taxes.
What’s next?
Todd Baker, project manager with the NWBCCC, told the Bronx Times that Neighborhood Restore will now begin to stabilize the building, make immediate repairs and assign new leases.
Architects and designers will then plan a gut rehab, the process for which could take 18 to 24 months, and construction and repairs could take another couple of years after that.
Tenants may need to relocate during construction, but Lemle & Wolff and NWBCCC would handle it, ensuring that they remain as nearby as possible and pay the same rent, he said.
“[Tenants] are still years away from ownership, but that’s time where we’re gonna be practicing collective decision making, we’re gonna be training the tenant association so they are prepared to become board of a cooperatively-owned building, and they’re really ready to be resident-owners,” Baker said.
Sanchez told the Bronx Times now that more than 80% of tenants have already signed the petition of interest in becoming part-owners, they must continue to pay rent on time and “prove they’re ready for resident ownership” as the process continues. HPD, which will fund the majority of improvements, will later evaluate and give tenants the go-ahead for co-op conversion.
Sanchez said the city will then conduct an assessment of the monthly maintenance fees needed to operate the building and may arrange housing subsidies, such as Section 8, for tenants if needed.
The council member said she hopes Davidson Avenue will be just the start in holding more landlords accountable under a fair process. She has proposed legislation that would update and expand the third-party transfer program, as existing city enforcement measures are not enough to deal with the most distressed buildings, she said in a statement.
Taking matters into their own hands
Some tenants who gave up waiting on their absent landlord have coordinated their own ways to keep the building clean. One family even completed a self-funded $15,000 renovation last year in hopes of keeping their apartment in the family for generations.
Action Vasquez, who has lived at 2201 Davidson for 28 years, said he worked for previous management years ago as an assistant superintendent. In those days, the owner “ruled with an iron fist,” he said.
But conditions in the building began to deteriorate after about 2010, and recently, he got so fed up with unsightly conditions that he began cleaning the hallways and dealing with outside trash on his own. Today, he works on the building on a voluntary basis.
“It was embarrassing to come in here and see all this filth,” he told the Bronx Times.
With no responsible landlord to do the cleaning or provide funds, Vasquez said his fellow tenants have been contributing $100 per month to a cleaning fund. The amount is steep, but “when you consider the amount of garbage that comes through this building, that’s insignificant,” he said.
Vasquez showed the Bronx Times photos of trash bags piled up outside and in the hallways and said that someone needs to deal with it every single day, or else it becomes unmanageable.
He said while he doesn’t love seeing piles of trash left by his fellow tenants — or having to take on what should be the owners’ responsibility — “I feel good that I’m doing something for the building, and people appreciate it,” said Vasquez. “They tell me every day.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
