Residents of Park Place Tower, a luxury apartment complex on Brown Street in Peekskill, held their second organized tenant meeting on April 7. The meeting, which followed previous reports of heat and hot water issues, raised concerns about ongoing hot water problems, limited building access, and communication with management, all while city inspections are ongoing and violations are pending. 

Held in the building’s common space, the meeting was attended by roughly two dozen residents in person and six on Zoom, with Peekskill City Manager Matt Alexander also present. The gathering built on the momentum from a previous tenant-organized meeting on Jan. 31, 2026, highlighting persistent concerns. 

Park Place Tower has 182 units but is not yet fully occupied, according to owner BNS I, LLC, which told the Peekskill Herald by email that leasing is steady and near full. 

Among the issues raised at the meeting… 

• Intermittent hot water issues from the temporary boiler 
• Unsecured garage door left open for weeks 
• One of two garage entrances is inaccessible  
• Frequent overnight fire alarms 
• Late-February flood affecting multiple floors 
• Rent increases of 9% to 11% 

Tenants said they have relied heavily on a tenant-created group chat for updates, which they described as their primary source of information about building conditions.

The concerns come amid a series of issues reported at the building over the past year, including prior complaints about security, package theft, and overall quality of life. Those concerns were documented in earlier Peekskill Herald coverage. 

Issues First Reported in January 

Park Place Tower’s heating issues were first reported in January 2026, when tenants told the Herald they were waking up without heat during some of the coldest days of the winter, including ahead of a major snowstorm. Residents described multiple periods without heat and hot water, including a five-day stretch from Jan. 8 to Jan. 12 and another outage on Jan. 22. 

A thermometer photographed in one unit on Jan. 22 showed a temperature of 62 degrees — below the 68-degree minimum required by New York State during heat season. Another tenant reported their unit’s temperature below 60 degrees.

Late that same January day, owner BNS I, LLC notified residents that space heaters would be distributed while a temporary boiler was installed and said that a one-month rent concession would be provided for February. Residents confirmed receiving the concession, but concerns about building conditions have continued in the months since. 

Temporary Boiler 

The temporary boiler system was installed following the January outages as a short-term fix until a long-term solution is found. 

BNS I, LLC said that the boiler system failed due to a discontinued part. They expect fabrication of a replacement to begin by this July, and are working with engineers on a full system replacement. 

BNS I, LLC said heat and hot water have remained in service, with any interruptions limited to scheduled maintenance. Several tenants said the experience has differed, describing inconsistent service recently. 

Amanda Kagusa, who lives in the building, said the inconsistency has made daily routines unpredictable. 

“We wake up and don’t know if we’re going to have hot water,” she said. “I can’t bathe. I can’t wash my dishes,” adding that when she gets home from work, she often doesn’t know whether hot water will be available then either. 

Access and Security Concerns 

Residents said one of the building’s two garage entrances, the James Street exit, has been blocked since January by the temporary boiler equipment, leaving only one functioning access point. 

That remaining entrance, which opens onto North Broad Street, was reported by tenants to have been left open and unsecured for weeks. Management notified residents of an issue with that door on March 27.

As of Friday, April 10, management said the North Broad Street garage door has been repaired. However, the James Street entrance remains blocked by the temporary boiler system, continuing to limit the building to a single accessible garage exit. 

These concerns echo earlier tenant complaints reported by the Herald in fall 2025, which included a package theft incident and issues with building access points. 

Flood and Communication Concerns 

Tenants also pointed to a late-February flood, which they said originated from a fifth-floor unit and spread through multiple levels of the building, including the common area. 

Several residents said they learned about the incident through their group chat rather than from management. 

Landlord BNS I, LLC said the flood was caused by a resident leaving a sink running and that management responded immediately, addressing affected units and communicating directly with impacted residents. 

However, for Park Place Tower tenants, communication remains a central concern and has been an ongoing issue since the January outages. During the April 7 meeting, several tenants described difficulty getting responses from management and said updates, when provided, are often delayed or vague. 

Resident Camila Barrionuevo said she has repeatedly reached out to management without receiving responses. “It’s just crickets,” she said. 

Tenants raised similar concerns in January, telling the Herald they went hours — and in some cases a full day — without updates during heat and hot water outages, often relying on their group chat to confirm conditions in the building. 

City Involvement and Pending Violations 

The city’s involvement began following tenant reports earlier this year and has since moved forward with inspections, violations, and pending court proceedings. 

Peekskill City Manager Matt Alexander said the city has inspected the building regularly and issued violations for conditions documented earlier this year. 

He said the violations were initially expected to be heard in March, but that the hearing was delayed and is now awaiting a court hearing. 

Alexander encouraged tenants to continue reporting issues so inspectors can document conditions as they occur. He also said the city would send officials to inspect the garage and notify emergency services that the building effectively has only one accessible entrance.

Rent Increases Draw Frustration

Several tenants said they received lease renewal offers with increases of 9%-11%, even as building issues continued. Some tenants said they pushed back in writing and were later offered lower increases. 

In its response, the building owner said rent renewals are based on market conditions and comparable properties, and pointed to the February rent concession and prorated January credits as efforts to offset disruptions.  

Leasing Concerns 

Krista Serino, who moved into the building in February, said she asked about the reported heating issues before signing her lease and was told they had been resolved. 

The building owner said prospective tenants were given “the most current and accurate information available” at the time and that systems were operational when asked about what information prospective tenants were being given. 

Quality of Life Concerns Continue 

Residents also cited ongoing issues, including false alarms, utility costs and amenity conditions. 

Several tenants said fire alarms frequently go off, sometimes in the middle of the night and lasting for extended periods, raising concerns that residents may become desensitized to them. 

Tenants said the building has not met expectations set when it was marketed as a luxury property. 

What Comes Next

Alexander said the city will continue working with residents and management while pursuing enforcement through the court process. Residents plan to keep documenting issues and sharing updates as they await long-term solutions.