Agreement reached to improve living conditions at Southpark Apartments in Franklinton
The Columbus City Attorney's office has reached an agreement with the owners of Southpark Apartments to improve safety, bolster security and maintain sanitary living conditions at the 356-unit apartment complex near the old Cooper Stadium site in south Franklinton.
The agreement signed Wednesday comes after city lawyers in August asked the Franklin County Environmental Court to force Southpark Apartments management to present a plan to bring the property into compliance and take steps to mitigate criminal activity.
It also comes on the heels of another victory for the city attorney's office. Earlier this week, the owner of troubled Latitude Five25 apartments on the Near East Side agreed to sell the property after it was evacuated due to water line breaks.
Calling it a significant win for residents, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said in a statement that "the city will continue to do whatever it takes to hold the landlord accountable and improve the quality of life for all those who call Southpark home."
Under the terms of the agreement, Southpark Preservation Limited Partnership will install 12 additional security cameras; repair nine existing cameras; enable remote, real-time camera access to Columbus police; and install at least three license plate readers at complex access points.
Other required security upgrades include installing additional lighting in low-lit areas; requiring key access between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. each day; and annual, joint security staffing level evaluations conducted by Columbus police and property owners.
In addition, property owners will be required to maintain active, up-to-date tenant rolls to prevent loitering by non-residents on site and deny access to any individuals not permitted to be present on the premises, including those evicted for criminal activity.
The agreement also requires Southpark Preservation Limited Partnership to bring the property up to code by installing new flooring in certain units, remedying outstanding building orders, and maintaining pest control services. Regular solid waste and trash removal, removal of inoperable vehicles on site and regular lawn and grounds maintenance will also be required.
Other provisions of the agreement stipulate that the apartment complex must have sufficient maintenance and property management staffing, and for them to respond to resident needs and remedy outstanding code violations.
“The health, safety and security of residents and neighbors is our top priority, and this agreement includes concrete benchmarks for improvement and real checks to hold the landlord accountable to tenants and the city," Assistant City Attorney Sarah Pomeroy said in the statement. "It is a step in the right direction that will benefit residents and the surrounding neighborhood."
With 18 buildings and hundreds of units, Southpark Apartments is one of the largest affordable housing developments in Columbus. Klein has previously said that it has become a magnet for crime and is in serious need of repairs.
According to a complaint filed last year in Franklin County Environmental Court, inspections in 2021 at the complex at 841 Greenfield Drive found about 200 violations, including roach and rodent infestations; missing smoke detectors; water leaks; inoperable water heaters, stoves, refrigerators and furnaces; and damaged ceilings, walls and floors and rotted balconies.
There also have been more than 800 police calls to the complex between Aug. 1, 2021 and July 22, 2022. They include 179 disturbances, 51 domestic violence incidents, 49 stolen or recovered vehicles, 39 reports of someone with a gun, 22 shots fired, 19 wanted people, 13 burglary-related runs, seven accidental overdoses, six stabbings or knife complaints, five robberies and two sexual assaults.
Southpark Preservation Limited Partnership of Torrance, California, bought the complex in 2018 for $15.4 million.
No one answered the phone when a Dispatch reporter called Torrance-based Preservation Partners, the management company, and the voice mailbox was full.
Carey Miller, an Atlanta-based lawyer who represents the owners, said in a statement that Preservation sought to work with the city and invested "millions of dollars to improve Southpark, in addition to millions invested in a complete renovation prior to the pandemic."
"Preservation sincerely hopes that its efforts reflected in the Agreed Court Order, along with renewed efforts by the city of Columbus in policing both the surrounding neighborhood and the public streets running through the property, will benefit Southpark residents," Miller said.
Monroe Trombly covers breaking and trending news.
mtrombly@dispatch.com
@monroetrombly
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Agreement reached to improve Southpark Apartments in Franklinton
