In Brooklyn’s Columbia Street Waterfront District, dozens of low-income tenants are fighting to keep their apartments affordable as looming changes threaten to raise rents beyond their reach. For many, the stakes couldn’t be higher—they risk losing homes they’ve lived in for decades.

The Situation at 63 Tiffany Place

The building at 63 Tiffany Place has been a lifeline for many of its residents, offering a mix of rent-stabilized apartments and units made affordable through a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit agreement. This agreement limits rent to 30% of a tenant’s income, making it possible for people with lower incomes to remain in the neighborhood. However, the tax incentive is set to expire in March, jeopardizing the affordability of nearly 40 apartments in the building.

Once the tax credit ends, those units could transition to market-rate rents, with some possibly soaring to $4,300 per month—far beyond what current tenants can afford. Without intervention, dozens of families could be displaced from their homes and the neighborhood they have called home for years.

Longtime Tenants Share Their Concerns

Gilberto Gonzalez has lived at 63 Tiffany Place for 30 years, paying just $900 per month in rent. At 77 years old, he fears being forced out of the place he has built his life around, especially after the death of his wife in 2019. “My wife died when she was here, so I want to die here, too. I want to remain here until the day I die,” Gonzalez said, his voice filled with emotion. He added, “At my age, I’m not 30 or 40 or 50 anymore. I have nowhere else to go.”

Another tenant, John Leyva, has also been at the building for 30 years and echoes Gonzalez’s fears. “People ask me, ‘What’s your plan B if this doesn’t work out?’ I have no plan B. There is none,” Leyva said. He pointed out the staggering difference between his rent and the current market rate for a one-bedroom apartment in the area, which averages $4,300.

Tenants Push for Dialogue with the Landlord

The tenants have banded together, working with lawyers to advocate for negotiations with the building’s owner, Irving Langer. Despite repeated attempts to reach out, Langer has not responded to their requests to sit down and talk. “We’re not asking the landlord to give us the building. We’re asking him to come and negotiate with us,” Leyva said.

Langer’s company, which manages approximately 10,000 properties nationwide, has a website boasting about its dedication to tenant satisfaction. However, Langer’s name has also appeared on the city’s Worst Landlord Watchlist, most recently in 2018. Tenants worry that Langer might attempt to justify large rent hikes by citing the expiration of the tax credit.

Legal Options and Community Impact

Lawyers representing the tenants believe that Good Cause Eviction laws, which cap annual rent increases at 10%, could offer some protection. However, there is a risk that the landlord could argue in court that larger rent hikes are reasonable due to the loss of the tax incentive. The tenants remain hopeful for a resolution that avoids legal battles, which would add strain to an already difficult situation.

“We’re fighting for the heart and soul of New York. For New Yorkers who have been here all their lives and not have to be run out of their city,” Leyva said. Tenants emphasize that these are not just apartments—they are homes that hold decades of memories, and losing them would mean more than just a financial burden; it would mean the loss of a community.

Hoping for Compassion and Resolution

The tenants have not yet filed legal action and hope to keep it that way. Instead, they are asking the landlord to recognize their humanity and meet them halfway. “These are not units, these are homes. And these are real people. And if he saw us and met the great people who live in this building, he might have a change of heart and that’s what we’re hoping for,” Leyva said.

For now, tenants like Gonzalez and Leyva remain in limbo, awaiting a response from the landlord. With the March deadline fast approaching, they are holding onto hope that a compromise can be reached, allowing them to stay in the homes they have loved and cherished for decades.