Asteri apartments receive county health violations 

Asteri Ithaca, a mixed-use high-rise development on East Green Street that quickly gained a reputation as a high-crime building since it opened last summer, recently received a letter from Tompkins County’s Department of Environmental Health (TCEH) detailing living conditions that put Asteri in violation of health codes. 

Asteri has 181 affordable housing units, 40 of which are subsidized through Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI). These 40 units were designed with the expectation to house those previously experiencing chronic homelessness.

The report states that an inspection found clogged trash chutes and a buildup of garbage in the trash rooms. Large items in the hallways blocked the halls and apartment doors, and staff members said they had stopped clearing away these items due to fear for their own safety.

Ultimately, the county found Asteri in violation of Article IV of the Tompkins County Sanitary Code, which requires that “on every premise there shall be adequate containers to accumulate refuse and so placed and maintained as to not create a nuisance.”

“The ESSHI residents were previously unhoused and may have unmanaged substance use or mental health conditions,” the letter from the county states. 

Tompkins County Legislator Randy Brown (R-Newfield) went into the building about a month ago to donate a piece of furniture he no longer needed to one of the residents. Right away, he said he noticed the lock on the entrance next to the movie theater Cinemapolis was broken. 

“We went in the elevator, and it was not pretty,” he said. “There was urine on the floor and holes in the walls. …  The apartment that this individual was in was in shambles. It was awful.” 

The apartment itself was “nice,” being nearly brand new, but it was littered with so many items that you could no longer see the floor, Brown said. 

He said it appeared obvious to him that the tenant had some mental health needs. “No one is watching over them,” he said of the people residing in the building.

Brown also witnessed tenants arguing in the hallway. “For a Sunday morning, I thought that was intense, but when you put people with anger issues and mental health needs together, that’s what I think you get.”

Issues with the building’s safety extend beyond the excessive and improperly disposed-of refuse. As reports of hypodermic needles in the trash and blood stains in the hallways would seem to indicate, there is evidence that shows life at Asteri can be dangerous.

As of last November, there were 492 police calls to the building since June, when residents first moved in.

In November, the Ithaca Police Department reported that one resident accused another of threatening them with an ax. 

In December, Ramal Abdullah, 46, of Brooklyn, and Randall Brooks, 65, of Ithaca, were arrested following a search of an Asteri apartment that stemmed from a weapon possession and drug trafficking investigation.

Asteri’s parent company, Vecino, is making efforts to rectify the situation, according to Jordan Gibson, senior vice president of organizational development at Vecino Group. 

One of the steps the company has taken since the report was filed is the hiring of Tammy Baker, who has held various positions working with the unhoused population in Tompkins County. Baker starts in her new position as Asteri’s community manager this week, Gibson said. She said that Baker’s experience and compassion for the residents is just what Asteri needs right now, and Vecino also plans to hire an assistant community manager, as well. 

At the time of the inspection, there were two employees responsible for building maintenance. Maintenance workers were reported to be scheduled to work 5 days a week, the county report states “it is not uncommon to work 6 or 7 days, as well as addressing issues that arise some nights.”

There are currently two building maintenance staff members, with one open position, confirmed Gibson. “We are actively going through interviews right now. … This third position’s job will be based solely on trash and cleanliness.”

When hiring is complete, “we will have the perfect full-time group,” Gibson said.

The county required Asteri to submit a plan for addressing issues within the building by Dec. 30, followed by an updated plan within two weeks of receiving comments from TCEH. 

Upon approval, Asteri must implement the final plan in accordance with the approved schedule. Failure to comply with any of these requirements “may result in formal enforcement action including penalties,” the letter states, adding that “while hypodermic needles, feces, urine and blood were not observed in the stairwells and other locations in the building during this inspection, subsequent inspections may be conducted and additional enforcement including financial penalties may result if these things are observed.”

The letter, which was sent to Asteri Ithaca, LLC, on Dec. 13, stated that in response to a complaint, staff from TCEH and the City of Ithaca Code Enforcement conducted a joint inspection of Asteri Apartments on Dec. 6. 

“The doors to the trash chutes in several rooms were broken and could not close, while others would not close due to refuse stuck in the entrance to the chute,” the letter states, adding that the conditions in some trash rooms created a potential fire hazard as well as potential health and safety concerns to those entering the trash rooms and handling the materials in those rooms.

TCEH reported in its letter that it has received complaints about hypodermic needles, feces, urine and blood in the stairwells and other locations in the building and that some of those complaints included photos and videos to back up the claims. None of these substances were observed during the inspection, the report states, but the inspectors did observe stains in multiple locations.

“Trash bags deposited in the trash rooms that do not fit in the chutes are currently broken down by maintenance staff in order for the refuse to fit in the trash chutes,” the report states. “When the bags are broken down, hypodermic needles and other materials of concern have been found in the trash bags. The trash chutes to the compactor are reportedly frequently clogged by the materials tenants try to put down the chutes.”

Unhoused visitors are believed to stay overnight in some of the units in the building, according to the letter from the county. Based on information obtained during the inspection, the volume of materials that some of these residents and overnight visitors bring into the units and subsequently discard significantly exceeds that typically generated by other apartment residents.

The report asked that by Dec. 30 Asteri submit for review and approval a plan for managing refuse that addresses the adequacy of disposal facilities, the disposal of offensive materials, hypodermic needles and other nuisances and the prevention and minimization of refuse, as well as plans for the staffing needed to address the conditions in the building and the safety of staff conducting the work.

Asteri has responded with a plan that details efforts to better manage the building’s garbage, including purchasing clearly labeled bins for the trash rooms located on each residential floor, which will be in place by Jan. 31, the plan states.

Gibson said that Vecino provided the right size of trash bags to the residents so that their trash would not get stuck in the chutes, as in the past residents have purchased very large trash bags that do not fit down the chutes. “This way, they will be able to utilize the trash chutes and not get stuck,” Gibson said.  

Staff members are responsible for waste collection and the cleanliness of the common areas.

Casella removes waste five times per week, and effective Dec. 16, every day a staff member is responsible for using a waste caddy to bring dumpsters to the curb for a 20-minute period, then returning the dumpsters to the dumpster room.

Asteri has contracted with J-Dog Junk Removal & Hauling for on-call removal of large items on a biweekly basis, Gibson said. 

Asteri’s plan states that, effective Jan. 15, there were to be secure containers installed in the trash rooms specifically for the safe disposal of hypodermic needles. “These will be monitored regularly to prevent misuse,” the plan states.

All staff involved in waste collection and cleaning attends specialized e-training via Vecino University in handling hazardous waste and needles safely. This training includes the use of personal protective equipment, safe handling procedures and emergency response protocols.

The plan states that Asteri will partner with Tompkins Community Action (TCA), an organization dedicated to moving people out of poverty through comprehensive programming, and REACH, a nonprofit organization with the belief that all individuals deserve respectful, equitable access to compassionate healthcare, to provide seminars and workshops on waste management best practices, including how to dispose of needles properly.

Gibson also said that Asteri plans to implement an electronic security system to help curb issues with visitors. “It is common for us, at some of our other communities, to have check-in systems for guests,” she said. “It’s important to know who is in the building, making sure people are not just walking in and entering.”

Gibson said she cannot put a timeline on the implementation of such a system but that Vecino is in the research phase of determining the best system for the property.  

Residents will be required to meet their guests at the front desk and accompany them through the building.

“Guests will be required to check in with the assistant manager at that front desk,” she said, adding that the security team will be provided with a tablet so they can see if someone is walking through the building who is not accompanied by a resident.

One goal is to eliminate some of the access points to the building, including the stairwells and the parking garage. 

The county’s letter stated that at the time of the inspection, security staff did not have access to the building security camera feed. Gibson said that Asteri will make sure security cameras are installed, and that if a door is opened, it will show up on the security system and staff will investigate.

“People may get creative and try to work around what we’ve implemented, but we’re prepared to pivot and make sure to address that,” Gibson said. “Having those measures and ensuring safety, knowing who is in the building … is a lot easier with an electronic system.”