Elderly Tenants: Landlord Hid From Us

A team of newly unionized seniors embarked on a cross-state quest to confront their corporate landlord — whose employees allegedly faked an office relocation, ducked under windows, and summoned a tow truck in order to evade their elderly tenants.

Leaders of the recently formed Park Ridge Tenants Union, representing the elderly and disabled residents of the federally subsidized West Hills housing complex at 10 Hard St., relayed that story at a press conference on Thursday morning.

They convened 25 Park Ridge neighbors and allies outside the Hard Street building for a press conference featuring U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Blumenthal announced that he’s drafted a letter advocating for the property owner, Capital Realty Group, to listen to tenants’ concerns. 

He said that he plans to send the letter with support from U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro to the New York-based real estate company this week.

That is, the allegedly New York-based real estate company.

After formalizing the tenants union’s status last Wednesday, a group of Park Ridge and Connecticut Tenants Union advocates hopped into three cars and drove down to the address listed on Capital Realty Group’s website as the company’s headquarters. They sought to hand-deliver a petition requesting a meeting with the union’s negotiating committee and Capital Realty Group principals.

They said that Capital principals never responded to their efforts. Representatives of the company did not respond to the Independent’s requests for comment.

The company’s stated address is 86 Rte. 59 E. in Spring Valley, New York, which is a quasi-brutalist strip mall prominently bearing Capital’s logo. When the tenants arrived there, however, they were met with a dark building and a ​“Relocation Notice” posted to the building’s front door.

“Dear visitors, we would love to serve you at our new location,” the notice (as captured in a photograph) read, directing visitors instead to 10 Paragon Dr. in Montvale, New Jersey. According to New Jersey land records, that building appears to be co-owned by one of Capital’s principals, Moishe Eichler.

Following the sign’s directions, the group drove about 15 minutes away to the New Jersey building — ​“only to be met by an empty building,” recalled Park Ridge Tenants Union Vice President Gerene Freeman.

The team then drove back to the Spring Valley headquarters. ​“The lights were on,” said Freeman. People inside ​“ducked down” upon seeing the tenants. ​“We could see their shadows,” said Freeman.

As the group tried and failed to reach a representative from Capital by phone, they noticed a tow truck approaching. One of the union advocates, said Freeman, asked the tow truck driver whether they should move their cars to provide the driver a pathway to another vehicle.

“He said, ​‘No, we’re here to get yours,’” recalled Freeman. That line prompted the tenants to leave their letter by the company’s door and head back to New Haven.

“How many people like Bugs Bunny cartoons?” she asked the presser attendees on Thursday. ​“Well, we found ourselves in the middle of one.”

Capital ​“chose to quite literally duck and hide rather than engage as human beings with their tenants,” said CT Tenants Union Vice President Luke Melonakos. 

On Thursday, the tenants responded to their landlord’s non-response with the support of federal legislators, led by Blumenthal.

“You formed a union. The union makes you strong,” he said. ​“Your voice is one voice.”

According to Blumenthal, Capital is spending “$500 to $750 per unit per year” on maintenance at Park Ridge, an amount ​“way below standard,” while earning “$750,000 in profit” each year. 

“Oh my goodness!” tenant Gloria Daniels gasped from the crowd. 

Blumenthal noted that the building has received $7.1 million in federal financing to subsidize the affordable units, as well as a Section 8 rental voucher for every apartment in the building.

“They are making a killing on those public resources,” said Melonakos.

Blumenthal said that he plans to contact the company alongside Murphy and DeLauro to implore them to meet with the tenant union.

The tenants present criticized the owners for not adequately repairing a ground-floor boiler so loud that multiple ninth-floor tenants said they can hear it from their apartments.

They also complained of inadequate responsiveness to maintenance concerns, unreliable temperature control, preferential treatment for some tenants, a need for new carpeting in both apartments and common spaces, and a slow response to sewage backups in two of the apartments.

“I feel we should all be respected and not treated like we’re senile,” said Evelyn Randall.