Roosevelt Island Residents Of 1003 Unit Roosevelt Landings Complex Without Regular Hot Water Service Since Early March, Residents Say “We Have To Shower In Cold Water, It Hurts” – Building Management Says Cause Is Malfunction With Cogeneration Plant That They Are Working To Fix

Roosevelt Island residents living in the 1003 unit Roosevelt Landings building complex are angry and frustrated at living without regular hot water service since last March.

According to building residents:

Some are talking about a rent strike over the lack of hot water.

On April 12, I asked Roosevelt Landings C+C Apartment Management Regional Manager Doryne Isely

I’ve received almost a dozen complaints this week about lack of hot water over an extended period of time in the Roosevelt Landings buildings.

For example

• 
  Roosevelt Landings apartments have NOT had consistent hot water since the
  
  beginning of MARCH. We are taking ice showers.. a lot of people Im in
  
  contact with (including myself) are scared to speak up to call 311 out
  
  of fear of retaliation.
  
• 
  Are you aware that for quite some time building 510 has had – at best –
  
  lukewarm water, but generally no hot water at all? Management gives no
  
  timetable for when things will return to normal. Its been off and on this
  
  way for well over a month.
  
• 
  Roosevelt Landings has no Hot Water and Mgmt office do not know when the
  
  problem will be fixed. There’s been no hot water or warm water for the
  
  last 5 weeks from 4-6am till 11am-12pm and then at night after 11pm (no
  
  hot only warm). So all residents that were not able to shower in freezing
  
  cold water today must be very stinky and in need of extra deodorant
  

I’ve seen the April 12 notice management is distributing explaining the problem.

I recall Urban American’s Josh Eisenberg reporting in 2014 (correct year is 2013) on a state of the art Combined Heat and Power Plant systems
being connected to the buildings electrical and hot water systems. Are they
still working?

Does Roosevelt Landings management have any comment on the matter?

Yesterday, a C+C Apartment Management spokesperson replied:

We apologize to our residents for the hot water interruptions and understand
the inconvenience this has caused. Our team has been working diligently to
address service interruptions and to permanently fix the hot water heaters. We
thank residents for their patience and will continue to provide updates as we
work to resolve this issue.

The C+C Apartment Management spokesperson added today:

The interruptions in hot water service are linked to a malfunction within the
cogeneration plant that services the property. – We are working closely with
engineers and specialists to resolve it as soon as possible.

And on April 17, C+C Apartment Management sent this notice to Roosevelt Landings residents:

On April 19, a Roosevelt Landings resident wrote to me:

There has been no hot water for over a month. The laundry room situation has
been crazy. Why isn’t this being discussed? The buildings are dirty. Main
street looks the worse it has ever been. This publication has to address
island life. Its getting worse.

Roosevelt Island elected officials, including State Senator Liz Krueger , Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright and City Council Member Julie Menin have intervened with Roosevelt Landings building management on behalf of residents.

Council Member Menin reported on April 19:

It is unacceptable that any New Yorker would be without hot water for weeks at
a time. My office has been in contact with HPD many times about Roosevelt
Landing and today the agency issued two C-class violations for no hot water
and another for no access to the boiler, which the landlord needs to correct
immediately. We will continue to advocates for the tenants of this building
until all issues are resolved.

The Roosevelt Landings co-generation power system currently out of service was installed in 2013 by former owner Urban American. According to Josh Eisenberg who spearheaded the installation:

… When activated, our onsite power plant and heating system will be
capable of generating 15% of the building’s electricity on site and all
of the hot water for more than 1000 apartments 30% more efficiently than
before….

Mr Eisenberg spoke about the system during an interview on a 2013 episode of the Michael Stoller real estate TV program.

Stay tuned. Will update when more info available.

UPDATE 4/21 – A spokesperson for Assemblymember Seawright reports at 5:20 PM

We are hearing an update from HPD as of 5:06pm- they sent the emergency repair unit to conduct a final inspection on 2 of the water heaters that have been repaired. The equipment is going to be monitored to ensure it doesn’t fail. We have been in touch with the Mayor’s Office, HPD and the management company and asked to receive updates as they are available.

and adds at 7 PM:

HPD update- The Emergency Repair Program (ERP) unit indicated the HW temp is 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the furthest point from the heating equipment, and 116 at a closer point. Theyve assessed this is inadequate and technicians are on site working on the equipment.