No go-ahead yet for Albany tenants
Work on six damaged Hudson Ave. floors to take another week
ALBANY — Residents on the upper floors of 400 Hudson Ave. will need to wait a least a week before they are back in their homes.
A representative for the building ’s property manager said the company has brought in engineers and electricians to help bring six floors back online after water from burst pipes fried critical electrical infrastructure and displaced 45 residents.
Elizabeth A. Baker, vice president at CRM Rental Management, said the company was working with residents daily to meet their needs while they are out of their homes.
“We continue to ensure our residents are provided with safe, comfortable alternative accommodations and continue to provide them with ongoing support,” she said in an email earlier this week.
The building ’s pipes began to burst on Feb. 4 as subzero temperatures swept through the region. By Feb. 6, the city and the property’s management were forced to evacuate residents, many of them senior citizens, after the power failed on the building ’s upper floors.
Rick Lajoy, the head of the city’s Buildings and Regulatory Compliance department, said the building ’s owners were cited for having unsafe or unfit apartments after the electrical systems went out.
Lajoy confirmed the property’s owners were paying for residents’ rooms while they were out of their homes. He previously said the property at 400 Hudson Ave. has had code issues in the past, including some currently in the city’s court system.
Councilman Owusu Anane, who represents the area, said after the pipes burst he would pursue legislation to change the city’s code to require annual inspections for high-rises that house seniors and people with disabilities. The current code calls for inspections every two years to receive a certificate of occupancy.