Three Mitchell-Lama housing developments overseen by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development operated at a financial loss, even as they gave bonuses and gratuities to staff and neglected critical building repairs, according to an audit released on Friday by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
Auditors examined Tivoli Towers in Crown Heights, Clinton Towers in Manhattan, and Evergreen Gardens in the Bronx, and found unsafe living conditions, including crumbling façades, mold, water damage, and broken fire doors, and identified more than $114,000 in bonuses, gratuities and holiday-related payments.
“Even in the face of New York City’s affordability crisis, my audit found troubling conditions and questionable spending at three housing developments that show clear need for better oversight of the Mitchell-Lama program, which is crucial to preserving affordable housing,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “The Department of Housing Preservation and Development must do more to ensure that these properties are managed responsibly and that tenant apartments are safe, well-maintained, and affordable.”…