Riverdale is home to the nation’s oldest affordable housing co-op, Amalgamated Houses, which has stood for nearly a century and is seen as a generational fixture for residents spanning generations. When Building One opened to 303 local working-class families in 1927, it was a pioneer in large-scale moderate-income housing cooperatives in the U.S.
However, tenants and managers at Amalgamated Houses today are concerned about the co-op’s future as nearly 800 units in the the 1,500-apartment system are facing possible gas shutoffs on July 1, as aging gas lines in the buildings are in need of serious repair and building managers are unable to afford to pay for the servicing.
Last December, Amalgamated’s contracted plumbing company assessed that “major work” needed to be done to repair the aging gas piping systems in the cooperatives by June 30, which carries a $6,500-$7,500 price tag per apartment.
However, the cost of the project — in line with the June 30 deadline — is outside of Amalgamated’s capital funds, according to general manager Charles Zsebedics in a letter obtained by the Bronx Times that was addressed to tenants.
Zsebedics put some of the onus on Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the state agency which oversees the Amalgamated Houses and approves their loan paperwork.
Zsebedics points the finger at HCR’s inaction in securing much-needed low-interest loans in 2020 and 2021 that he says would have offset the costs to repair the gas lines and the need for long-term improvement in the face of future deterioration.
“The bottom line is we simply do not have sufficient funds available to pay for the gas piping repairs that must be made,” wrote Zsebedics. “Even if we did have enough money available to make all of the repairs that are needed right now, staying connected to gas leaves open indefinitely the potential for future gas shutdown due to gas lines that will continue to deteriorate as they age.”
When the Bronx Times reached out…
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