Councilwoman Chin​ Urges 'Firm Date' For 85 Bowery Tenants Return

CHINATOWN, NY — Councilwoman Margret Chin penned a letter to the city Wednesday urging officials expedite repairs at 85 Bowery and set a hard deadline for when residents can move back into their homes.

Tenants of 85 Bowery Street have been in housing limbo since they were evacuated from their homes in January when a court-ordered inspection deemed the building uninhabitable, according to the Department of Buildings. At a Tuesday rally, tenants accused the landlord, Joesph Betesh, of reneging on a August 31 timeline for residents to move back into their refurbished apartments, leaving their return up in the air. The owner of the building denies that a move in date was ever set and reiterated that their goal is for construction to wrap up "by end of summer."

"After five months of displacement, the lack of a clear deadline for all necessary repairs to 85 Bowery is unacceptable," wrote Chin in the letter addressed to the city's Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin. "In order to provide the clarity that the families of 85 Bowery deserve, I request that a firm deadline for the completion of all work at the building be set."

City engineers found that the building's main stairway was structurally unsound and a vacate order was issued on January 18. As repairs were made, additional problems were discovered including asbestos and unstable floor joists, according to the Department of Buildings. Tenants expected to move back in March, but delays pushed the timeline toward the end of the summer.

To speed up the repair process, Chin is calling on the city to expedite permits and inspections for the construction. Asbestos abatement and joist work on the second floor is already complete, but repairs to joists on the remaining floors and in the building's kitchens and bathrooms won't be finished until August 16. Once those repairs are made, city inspectors will examine the property and certify that the building is once again habitable. But the lack of a move in deadline makes it hard for tenants to plan their lives, said Chin.

"We must take decisive action to put an end to this nightmare for tenant families by giving the clarity that they demand and deserve," Chin said in a statement.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch