Housing likely to receive $2.1M state grant for repairs

Barker Terrace Apartments, a Mount Kisco Mitchell-Lama building, which has faced funding shortages to properly maintain the structure, is earmarked to receive more than $2 million for capital repairs.

By MARTIN WILBUR

A troubled Mount Kisco apartment building is likely to receive a financial lifeline through a $2.1 million state grant secured by Assemblymember Chris Burdick for much-needed capital repairs.

Barker Terrace, a co-op that is part of the state’s Mitchell-Lama program for low- and middle-income households at 1 Barker St., will receive the money after the co-op board completes detailed forms to be submitted to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and then to the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, Burdick said. The paperwork is to ensure that the proposed use of the funds is only used for appropriate capital projects.

In last year’s legislative session, Burdick successfully pressed for the 92-unit structure to be included in the roster of Mitchell-Lama buildings statewide to receive money for critical capital upgrades.  

“I don’t anticipate any issue with it. I really don’t,” Burdick said. “I think that the managing agent for the corporation has been pretty prompt in replying to their questions and confirming his receipt of her advice to them.”

The state’s current fiscal year budget allocated $140 million for capital upgrades to Mitchell-Lama buildings, $110 million of which is for properties within New York City and another $30 million for buildings under the program throughout the rest of the state.

Problems at the building were made public in late 2023, when its residents were hit with a whopping 54% increase in monthly maintenance charges with little notice. The money was designed to help the board balance its operational budget with spikes in inflation and skyrocketing insurance costs at the time. 

By the following summer, 10 residents were the target of eviction notices because they were falling behind on their charges. As part of the litigation that landed in Mount Kisco Village Court, most settled with the corporation with a payment plan. The issue caught the attention of elected officials at the time who demanded answers to how the board could let the building deteriorate and impose such large increases for residents who must adhere to strict income guidelines to live there.  

Co-op board President Ursula Johnson said she had not yet been informed about the state grant and was unable to comment after being contacted on Wednesday. There is a meeting that will be scheduled soon where it is likely to be discussed. The management company overseeing Barker Terrace Apartments, Prestige Management Inc. of the Bronx, did not return phone calls. 

Mount Kisco Mayor J. Michael Cindrich said last week that he hoped the money could be used for the most urgent repairs.

“I talked to everybody in Albany about the fact that there are two boilers in that building; one hasn’t been functioning for years, so that could be a priority, and I hope the money comes relatively fast,” Cindrich said.

The process of completing and submitting the required forms will take at least several months, so the money will not flow immediately, Burdick said.

County Legislator Erika Pierce, who responded to the residents that faced eviction in 2024, said about two years ago she attended a state Assembly hearing in New York City and many of the complaints from Mitchell-Lama residents and management companies were similar to the problems at Barker Terrace, which was built in 1967. Lack of money to properly maintain the buildings was widespread throughout the state, she said. 

It’s even worse for Mitchell-Lama co-op tenants because many of the government programs that provide financial assistance are only eligible for rental apartments, according to Pierce.

“The buildings, many of them were built about the same time, they’re all aging fast, they’re aging faster than they probably should have given their age and the folks who live in these buildings, by and large, can’t afford the types of maintenance that are really needed to maintain this housing,” Pierce said.

Terrence Gallimore, one of those threatened with eviction, was grateful to all the local elected officials who pressed the state for the money to help him and his neighbors. Gallimore, who has lived at Barker Terrace for nearly 50 years and served on its board in the 1990s, said he hoped it could start helping the building recover from years of neglect.

“I give Mr. Burdick a lot of accolades, and the mayor and the local people, for what they’re doing,” said Gallimore, who reached a settlement with the corporation for the back charges he owed.

Burdick said given the condition of Barker Terrace the $2.1 million is likely only to cover a portion of the improvements. The board and management company will have to assess the most urgent projects that the grant would go toward.