Program housing · 10/29/2026
Asbestos dust from steam leak coats walls at Brooklyn's Marcy Houses
Steam from an exhaust vent on an underground line tied to mobile boilers left asbestos-laden residue on the outer walls and windows of two Marcy Houses buildings, NYCHA said. Residents of 23 apartments along those walls were offered temporary relocation, and four have moved. The same issue left nine buildings without heat earlier in the week, according to Councilmember Chi Ossé.
Reported by GothamistRead the original ↗
What happened
Residue that tested positive for asbestos has coated the exterior walls and many windows of 502 and 504 Marcy Ave., two adjoining buildings in NYCHA's Marcy Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Gothamist reported the story on 10/29/2026. The complex has 27 buildings.
NYCHA officials said the steam came from an exhaust vent for an underground line that connects with mobile boilers. Part of the equipment sticks up from the ground behind a wooden safety barrier. Some residents told Gothamist they had seen white steam rising for weeks or longer, leaving a white powder on their windows. Workers from NYCHA and the city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) were at the buildings on Thursday, 10/29/2026.
NYCHA said residents of 23 apartments along the affected exterior walls were offered temporary relocation. Four had relocated. One resident, Digna Torres, 75, got a notice on Wednesday, 10/28/2026. She chose to stay because she did not want to move her three parakeets, and she was waiting for workers to clean her windows. Another resident, whose apartment faces the other way and is not considered directly affected, sent her daughter to stay with a relative.
Councilmember Chi Ossé said earlier that week that nine buildings were without heat because of the same issue. By Wednesday, 10/28/2026, NYCHA said it had restored heat to 234 apartments across four buildings and was working to install mobile boilers for the other five. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on WNYC that he had no updates but that serving NYCHA residents is a top priority.
Key facts
- Address
- 502 and 504 Marcy Ave., Marcy Houses, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
- Agency
- NYCHA, with the city Department of Environmental Protection responding
- Cause (per NYCHA)
- Steam from an exhaust vent for an underground line connected to mobile boilers
- Test result
- Residue tested positive for asbestos, according to NYCHA
- Units affected
- 23 apartments along the exterior walls offered temporary relocation; 4 relocated
- Heat outage
- 9 buildings without heat; heat restored to 234 apartments in 4 buildings by 10/28/2026
- Notice date
- At least one resident received a notice on 10/28/2026
- Reported
- Gothamist, 10/29/2026
What it means
Tenants and voucher holders
Marcy Houses residents along the affected walls have been offered temporary relocation. Residents in other apartments who are worried can ask NYCHA whether their unit was checked.
Caseworkers
Clients in the affected apartments may need help deciding whether to relocate, including practical issues such as pets or family care. Clients in the nine buildings that lost heat may also need support until mobile boilers are running.
Landlords
Residents said the steam was visible for weeks before the asbestos notice. Temporary boiler setups and venting deserve close attention, and early tenant complaints should not be ignored.
The highlights
- NYCHA offered temporary relocation to 23 apartments; four households have moved.
- The affected buildings are 502 and 504 Marcy Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
- NYCHA restored heat to 234 apartments in four buildings; five more await mobile boilers.
Why it matters Caseworkers
NYCHA tenants near the leak face a choice between staying and relocating, and a related heat outage hit nine buildings.
What to do: Check whether any clients live at 502 or 504 Marcy Ave. and help them review NYCHA's relocation offer.
Not known yet
- How long the temporary relocations will last and where residents are being placed
- Whether apartment interiors or other buildings were tested for asbestos
- When window and wall cleanup will be finished
- When heat will be restored to the remaining five buildings
Background
In New York City, DEP runs the city's asbestos control program, and work that disturbs asbestos generally must follow city and state abatement rules using licensed contractors. NYCHA developments are public housing run by NYCHA, so residents usually report conditions to NYCHA directly rather than through HPD's code enforcement system for private buildings. City rules also require heat during the heat season, which runs from 10/01 through 05/31 each year.
Summary written by Bulwark from Gothamist’s reporting. The original story is at gothamist.com. This is general information, not legal advice.
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