As Winter Approaches, Hundreds of New Rochelle Residents Threatened with Cut-Off of Fuel, Water and Electricity

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (October 14, 2023) — MacQuesten Development of Pelham, NY leafleted the Heritage Homes properties in New Rochelle on Friday afternoon, warning them that their utility services will be switched off starting next week unless tenants who are behind in their rent make payments.

The announcement caught many shocked tenants off-guard who do not understand why all tenant’s utilities are to be cut off because some tenants are in arrears on their rent.

MacQuesten owns the properties, managed by Cornell Pace, which were developed in a public private partnership with the City of New Rochelle and the New Rochelle Muncipal Housing Authority. The property runs along Brook Street in District 3, represented by Yadira Ramos-Herbert who is the Democratic Party candidate for Mayor of New Rochelle.

Heritage Homes consists of one stand-alone four-story building and 19 townhome clusters with 228 Low and Very Low Income Units with a little under half reserved for tenants with Section 8 vouchers in a program administered by the NRMHA.

In a message addressed to all tenants of Heritage Homes dated Friday, October 13, 2023, they were warned of what amounts to a collective punishment, a utility shut off, because of a rent dispute involving some tenants.

“You are hereby advised that due to rent not being received by residents there are no funds available to pay Veolia, the water supplier, and Con Edison for heating and cooking.”

According to MacQuesten, Veolia has notified them that water service will be shut off on Wednesday October 18, 2023 with Con Edison follow unless past due rent is received no later than Tuesday, October 17, 2023.

The leaflets are disingenuous, according to sources familiar with the matter. MacQuesten Development has been seeking a rent increase but any increase for the roughly 100 Section 8 units are subject to approval by the housing authority which has, so far, refused to agree to the rent increase.

MacQuesten Development is owned by Rella Fogliano and run by Executive Vice President Joseph Apicella who manages all aspects of commercial real estate development for the company. MacQuesten has long been slated to build a large project at 44 Harrison Street, the site of New Rochelle Fire Department Firehouse 1.

We reached out to the New Rochelle Muncipal Housing Authority, the City of New Rochelle, MacQuesten Development and the Ramos-Herbert campaign but they did not respond immediately.