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Mayor says more than 100 residents complained about conditions at Ebony Gardens; HUD and state AG alerted
Summary
The mayor reported complaints from more than 100 Ebony Gardens residents alleging mold, flooding, poor electrical work, vermin and intimidation by management; she said HUD inspectors and the New York State attorney general's housing division have been contacted for follow-up.
Mount Vernon's mayor told the Industrial Development Agency on Oct. 9 that residents of Ebony Gardens reported widespread maintenance and management problems and that the city has asked HUD and the New York State Attorney General's housing division to investigate.
"We met at the Dole Center with representatives from about 90 of the apartments in that facility who detailed very concerning and made very, very serious allegations as to the maintenance or the quality of work that was done or was not done," the mayor said. Reported complaints included flooding and water coming up through floors, mold, poor electrical work and repeated vermin infestations. Residents said some building-level contact information for tenant rights and complaint reporting had been removed.
The mayor also relayed allegations that management staff pressured residents to sign incomplete recertification paperwork and that some residents were intimidated or threatened with eviction if they refused to sign. She said residents had provided police reports documenting incidents in which management staff allegedly intimidated tenants.
Representatives of Related Management attended a prior meeting and were said to have provided their leadership names; the mayor said HUD had expressed concern and planned to send inspectors and contractors to review the quality of work once their offices reopened. "HUD was quite concerned by what they heard," she said.
The mayor described additional housing problems nearby, including repeated elevator failures at Levista Towers and reports that a property had its common-area electricity disconnected after the management company accrued a large balance with Con Edison. She said Con Edison had issued notices listing about 100 multifamily properties at risk of cutoff and the city is coordinating with county and state partners.
City staff said they are working with resident groups including Mount Vernon United Tenants, Westchester Residential Opportunities and legal aid, and are gathering unit-by-unit information to support inspections and potential enforcement actions. The mayor emphasized these are allegations being investigated and that the city will pursue immediate governmental partners for faster review and remediation where possible.
