For the last few years, residents of the Stony Run Apartments have been under attack. We are five tenants of the hundreds who call Stony Run home, but we have all experienced skyrocketing rents and the rapid deterioration of the property.

Our homes have been passed from one owner to the next. Stony Run’s current landlord is Aker Companies, who has illegally increased some rents by as much as 70%. While they were prioritizing building a dog park and fitness center, many apartments were flooding and becoming ridden with mold.

Last fall, the five of us decided that enough was enough. With the support of For the Many, we formed the Stony Run Tenants Union and traveled to Aker’s office to deliver our concerns. Since then, our landlords have periodically met with us for negotiations and updates on the property. They have completed many urgent repairs and even reversed some monthly fees.

That’s why we were caught off guard when earlier this month, Aker and [Kingston] Mayor Steve Noble announced a deal to convert Stony Run into workforce housing. Contrary to the city’s initial statement, the Tenants Union never had a chance to review the plan and was never consulted. Aker never mentioned it to us in our meetings. In fact, most tenants first learned about the plan from media reports.

Under the plan, Stony Run would be governed by a regulatory agreement between Aker and the city that would last for 40 years. The deal would create a non-profit Housing Development Trust Fund and reserve funds for maintenance and repair costs.

Current tenants would continue to be covered by the Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA). New tenants would be subject to income requirements and would have their rents capped at 120% of Average Median Income (AMI). We estimate this would be about $1,818 for a one-bedroom, $2,103 for a two-bedroom, and $2,391 for a three-bedroom, excluding utilities.

While we welcome any guarantee of long-term affordability and maintenance funding, we have many concerns about this plan. There is uncertainty about if the ETPA will cover future tenants, and how it could negatively impact ETPA for the entire city. The agreement’s rent cap of 120 percent of AMI is too high and restricting the time period for affordability is unacceptable.

There’s also the matter of what the plan excludes. Stony Run tenants have been left behind for too long, and this is an opportunity to start making things right. Therefore, any agreement must give tenants the power to approve management, review financial and maintenance records, and have representation on any non-profit created to serve or manage Stony Run.

On Tuesday, March 7, the Kingston Common Council [was] scheduled to vote on authorizing the mayor to create and sign a regulatory agreement. We demand that the Council instead send the matter back to committee until tenants can review, negotiate and approve the plan.

Any plan for Stony Run’s future must be created in coordination with, and have the full consent of, the Tenants Union.

The Stony Run Tenants Union Organizing Committee:

Teresa Greene, Eric Jarman, Carolina Soto, Marie Talaska and Amanda Treasure

Kingston