NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The Department of Buildings determined that it was safe for residents of the undamaged wing of the seven-story building that partially collapsed in the Bronx on Monday to return and gather their belongings.
Structural engineers gave approval for residents to go into 1915 Billingsley Terrace in Morris Heights as soon as landlords restored electricity to the building.
The DOB continues to work with New York City Emergency Management, the FDNY and other partners on the ground.
“Keeping all tenants safe continues to be our priority, and we continue to be in communication with the landlords about their responsibilities. As soon as we have more information on occupancy, we will share that with the residents and the public,” the DOB said in a statement.
1010 WINS/WCBS 880 spoke with a tenant who returned to the building to get medication for his six-year-old daughter, and asked if they would be returning for permanent occupancy.
“Yeah we’re not going back. No way. I have a daughter, it’s too crazy. It’s just too much. Too much, it’s too many violations open on this building,” he said.
The tenant had only recently signed a lease, but he was unaware of the structural issues and the building violations, of which there were 100 in recent years and more than 25 since November, public records show.
“I just gave my deposits, my rents, I spent a lot of money actually moving in here, it’s just a lot going on,” the tenant said.
A partial demolition at the collapsed corner of the building, to be performed by city contractors, is expected to begin early Thursday morning, the DOB said.
The DOB is in communication with the building’s landlords, who have been informed that they must take additional action to seal off the damaged section of the building and make the remaining building safe for tenant re-occupancy once the demolition is complete.
When 1010 WINS asked Mayor Eric Adams Wednesday evening if he would re-occupy 1915 Billingsley Terrace, he said yes due to his confidence in city officials.
“Yes, I was up there, and I saw exactly what happened on the corner of the building of, it’s a double-sided building from what I was able to observe, and the side that was not impacted appears to be sturdy. I have a lot of confidence in the Department of Buildings. That if they went there and did a review and stated that it was okay to move back in, people can feel assured that it is okay,” Adams said.
There are still some animals in the building, but a spokesperson for Animal Care and Control said that five cats and two birds have been rescued, and one dog whose family is still being located has been left food and water.
The Red Cross remains involved and continues to provide emergency help to 51 households (174 people, 44 children) who need housing assistance, meals and other resources to meet immediate needs.
Red Cross caseworkers are working with impacted residents to connect with the proper governmental and nonprofit partner resources to help their recovery. Affected residents can also access disaster health and mental health services from trained Red Cross workers.