Over a year after fire, Jackson Heights tenants continue to fight for a return to their homes

Elizabeth Rivas’ mother, Patricia, first moved to Jackson Heights in the 1970s, securing a rent-stabilized apartment inside a 133-unit building in the heart of the Western Queens neighborhood.

Throughout the ensuing years, the building located on 34th Avenue and 89th Street would grow to house a large Spanish–speaking population, creating a community of immigrants in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the most diverse county in the United States.

And though residents say that the communal bond began to waver over the past decade, for the past 15 months, a group of tenants at 89-07 34th Ave., have found a new reason to come together.

Well over a year after an eight-alarm fire ripped through the apartment complex, injuring dozens and displacing hundreds, a group of over 60 tenants are in a continued legal battle with the building’s landlord, demanding that they be let back into their homes and that nightmare of moving from hotels, to friends’ and family’s couches month after month be put to end.

“In one day, our homes and our daily routines were destroyed,” said Angie Espino, a resident of the apartment building and one of the lead tenant organizers. “I miss my home, I miss my neighbors, the local Mexican stores, the 7 train – and most of all, I miss my family's peace of mind.”

Last week, dozens of tenants and local elected officials rallied in front of Queens’ Civil Court building in Jamaica in support of the plaintiffs prior to a scheduled appearance before Queens Housing Court Judge Clinton J. Guthrie.

On Thursday, their attorney met with the landlords, Kedex Properties LLC, owned by Kevin, Jorge and Rosa Bolanos, to continue discussions surrounding a settlement agreement that could potentially see the displaced tenants return to the building in the fall.

The tenants are also calling for the landlord to keep the apartment configurations the same, especially in units not affected by the fire. They worry that should the landlord make significant changes to the apartment building, the units could lose their rent stabilized status and become unaffordable to those who previously lived there. The tenants are also asking for rent reductions or credits for the time they spent displaced.

The lawsuit was first filed in September. Guthrie has previously ruled that all work on the building be completed and that the building be ready for tenant occupancy by January 2023.

Despite the ongoing negotiations, many of the tenants say they want the case to go to trial, citing what they claim has been a lack of transparency from Kedex Properties about the ongoing work in the building and the timeline for their return. They hope a trial before a judge will bring what has happened in the fire’s aftermath into the light.

“This is very important, not only because we don't want these tenants displaced, but because we have very little affordable housing stock left in Jackson Heights,” Ramos said in front of the court. “We cannot continue to allow fires or other natural disasters and emergencies to be used as an excuse by landlords to displace working people from their homes, disrupting their lives.”

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