Tenants at 201 Ellicott Apartments in downtown Buffalo plan to protest against the building’s operators, Monday.
They allege poor management and neglect by Corvus Property Intelligence, the company managing the building.
Complaints include wrongful eviction, lost or unrecorded payments, failure to make repairs and a deterioration of common areas according to a press release by Queen City Workers, a grassroots worker’s rights group.
It’s not the first time tenants have spoken out. They also protested in September, with one resident claiming there were bed bugs and roaches in the building.
Corvus, which has not yet responded to BTPM NPR’s request for comment, manages several affordable housing properties in Buffalo. Listings on its online leasing portal include 1100 Michigan, 201 Ellicott, Hertel Park, Ellicott Town Center, Noles Court, Parkview, School House Commons, The Forge on Broadway, Trinity Towers and Walden Park.
The company’s mission is “to enhance positive change in the quality of life for residents, while achieving tremendous value for those whose assets we’ve been entrusted to steward,” as stated on their website.
Co-founders Ernst Valery and David Alexander also run SAA | EVI, a firm behind other redevelopment projects in the city. Both are active in local politics, donating to campaigns that include Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and former Buffalo mayor, Byron Brown.
The building was developed in tandem with the now failed Braymiller Market by Ciminelli Real Estate. Since opening in 2021, it has been managed by three different companies.
