Компания Asteri Ithaca LLC оштрафована на $40 000 за нарушение санитарных норм и наличие биологических опасностей в жилом комплексе

Asteri Ithaca LLC faces a $40,000 fine from the Tompkins County Board of Health for violating orders issued in January 2026 by Health Commissioner Jennie Sutcliffe. The orders stem from county and city code violations regarding Asteri Ithaca, a high-rise housing development at 118 E. Green St. that has received numerous public complaints since opening in 2024. Community members and county officials have reported human blood, used needles and other biohazards in the building’s stairwells and shared spaces. In an executive committee on Thursday, April 9, the Tompkins County Board of Health  administered the penalty for violating waste management and cleanup orders issued in January.  Asteri Ithaca LLC, a subsidiary of Missouri-based developer Vecino Group, owns and operates Asteri Ithaca, a residential building with 181 residential housing units that receives government financial assistance for 40 supportive housing units. The Tompkins County Environmental Health Division (TCEH) has completed multiple health inspections at Asteri since January, spurred by the department receiving a report of unsanitary conditions at the residential building.  Since January, the health board has cited 83 violations of Tompkins County Sanitary Code at Asteri, including biohazards in shared spaces of the residential tower. Inspectors also discovered soot and material from apparent used fireworks in the shared stairwells. Photographs and other documentation of these conditions were included in the board’s agenda packet and a case summary in a resolution introduced at the meeting. Similar conditions have been reported as Arthaus, another Vecino development in Ithaca’s west end. Since the affordable housing development opened in 2021, it has been the site of shootings, narcotics investigations, arson and armed robbery. Shirley Kane, then-chair of the City of Ithaca Community Police Board, called Arthaus the “jungle with a roof” in a 2023 Community Police Board meeting, questioning if there was any management present at the building.  Both Arthaus and Asteri received millions of dollars in tax breaks from the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency. Facing fines, code violations, and a notice of default, Vecino’s tax break agreement with the TCIDA for Asteri is now at risk. Asteri Ithaca LLC has avoided nearly $1 million in property tax payments through its PILOT agreement since its inception in 2022. When TCEH reinspected Asteri Ithaca on Feb. 3, it found that property management failed to resolve multiple previous violations, according to a case summary. The board also noted 15 deviations from Asteri Ithaca’s waste management plan. TCEH reported “the presence of biohazards in the stairwells ha[d] worsened,” although the majority of the accumulating trash had been disposed of. Inspectors noted an overall lack of staff, security and management to ensure sanitary conditions during multiple visits.  The county penalized Asteri for 98 total violations at $500 each, amounting to $49,000.  At the April 9 meeting, board president Christina Moylan introduced a resolution to give Asteri Ithaca LLC until April 30 to comply with the commissioner's order, which includes complete implementation of their solid waste management plan.  Asteri’s solid waste management plan includes, but is not limited to, orders to provide sufficient, professional security, cleaning and maintenance staff; provide adequate and accessible containers for collecting refuse, with plans for proper maintenance; provide prompt attention to the cleaning and removal of biohazards and refuse; and implement a variety of systems and measures for enhanced building safety and security. In November 2025, the Downtown Ithaca Development Corporation (LDC) and the Ithaca Asteri Condominium of Board Managers filed a lawsuit against Vecino, alleging breaches of contract and mismanagement of the residential complex. They claim mismanagement is impacting the financial viability of the conference center, located on the lower three floors of the development.  During the board of health’s public comment session, Kathy Taylor, general manager of the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, said clogged trash compactors and other waste management issues have caused disturbances to the conference center’s operations.  “Consequences [of mismanagement] are visible every day,” Suzanne Smith Jablonski, executive director of the conference center, said during the Board of Health meeting. “Police, fire, and emergency responders stage in front of the conference center. Shared egress stairwells compromised by biohazards can cause real safety risks for the entire building.” In March, the city deemed the residential tower’s conditions, specifically broken windows in the shared stairwells, posed immediate threats to safety and issued an immediate evacuation order. Residents of the building’s 181 housing units were displaced for two weeks.  Michael Perehinec, an attorney for Vecino, told the board that since waste management and other safety issues have been identified, Vecino has spent “hundreds of thousands” on “emergency cleaning, hotel placements, transportation, repairs, and temporary staffing.” TCEH will resume routine and frequent inspections of the Asteri property on May 1 to ensure compliance with these orders, according to a release. If subsequent violations are found, Tompkins County Whole Health will pursue a penalty of $2,000 per violation per day. Asteri must pay the county $40,000 by May 15, and the county will waive an additional $9,000 penalty if Asteri fully implements a solid waste management plan and complies with state public health law.