At 535 Carlton, a lingering unlocked front door prompts public tenant complaints about safety, fix from landlord after more than five days.

Feb. 26, from 535 Carlton Tenants

Yesterday, the 535 Carlton Tenants Association, representing residents at one of the two "100% affordable" Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park buildings, circulated a complaint to their landlord, Avanath Capital, and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

"[T]he main entry door to our building, 535 Carlton Avenue, has been broken and unlocked for 5 days," they wrote. "Anyone can walk right into our building at any time, especially when a concierge is on break and the front desk is unattended. This is a major safety and security hazard. Tenants have reported this issue since it began last week, but so far, the door remains open and unlocked, as shown in the attached photos."

As shown in the photo at right, the building operator attempted to obscure the problem, and to limit the ability to open the door, by positioning signs on poles directly outside and mini sandwich-board warning barriers in the vestibule.

The TA noted that the unlocked door violates state housing law, which requires "automatic self-closing and self-locking doors and such doors shall be locked at all times except when an attendant shall actually be on duty" and comes with escalating fines.

Landlord: "as soon as possible"

Last night, I got a response Avanath's public relations agency:

According to a community staff member at 535 Carlton:
“Our residents’ safety and security is our top priority and we are actively addressing and making progress on this issue. We have secured a vendor to replace the faulty door component and are working to expedite the process in order to ensure it is fixed as soon as possible. In the meantime, our staff is taking measures to ensure the proper ingress and egress of our residents and their guests.”

Feb. 28, door finally repaired

Well, as shown in the photo at right, sent by a neighbor this morning, the door was finally been fixed.

A spokesperson for the Tenants Association told me that "the door was fixed yesterday, after 5+ days of complaints to management, 311, etc." 

However, management had not told the tenants when the door was expected to be fixed, which is part of a pattern of limited communication.

"For months, they have been promising backup support for the front desk when the concierge is on a break, but that has not happened," the spokesperson added. "So the front desk is unattended several times a night. (During the day, there is a porter for backup.) They have also promised us a second security guard at night, which also has not happened (as far as we know)."

I also queried HPD yesterday, which said they'd get back to me by next week. Obviously, the city agency had a lot on its plate.

But I suspect the TA going public with its complaints--after waiting five days--served to nudge the landlord into fulfilling its responsibility. 

This isn't the first time residents have expressed concern about 535 Carlton's security; in September, they reported evidence that a homeless person had been staying inside the building.