Residents of a senior housing complex in east Dallas upgraded their units with public funds in October and renovated them with better appliances, new paint and new flooring, but their homes remained empty. said they were left in a state of confusion with lost and damaged belongings.
Several Positano tenants claim construction crews cut corners and the complex provided less-than-promised facility upgrades. This 232-unit apartment complex is a low-income housing tax property located in the Elkins Forest neighborhood.
The Dallas Housing Finance Corporation, which helps the city finance development transactions to acquire, construct and rehabilitate multifamily housing, will begin implementing safety, security, energy efficiency and accessibility measures in October 2022. The company has agreed to issue $35 million in tax-exempt bonds to help fund targeted renovations. Complex.
The project's developer, Michael Volz of Positano Apartments LLC, declined to comment by phone. dallas morning newsbut then provided a statement explaining the process tenants can follow to report complaints.
“Tenants are contacted regularly throughout the moving process and our moving team document all issues that arise, whether conveyed in a written complaint or in a conversation in passing. We are working diligently to ensure this happens,” Volz wrote in an email.
“The moving team will directly assist with billing the moving company to minimize the burden on tenants,” Volz wrote. “Certainly, if tenants have issues with damaged property, we want to make sure those are resolved appropriately and welcome those tenants to contact us.”
Avenue 5 Residential, a Seattle-based apartment management company, did not respond to a request for comment. So did Icon National, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based general contractor that handled the renovations.
said Marcy C. Helfand, director of the Dallas Housing Finance Corporation. news She had not heard of the complaint Thursday but said she would work with the Dallas Housing Authority to investigate.
“The first step is to make sure that this outside company that's in charge of the relocation is doing what it's supposed to do,” Helfand said. “When something breaks, we need to replace it. So we're happy to participate.”
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is tasked with enforcing compliance for the state's publicly funded tax credit properties. Senior Communications Advisor Christina Tirroni said in her email that the property will not be inspected until 2025, when renovations are complete.
“Sloppy, sloppy work.”
Resident Beverly Edmond, 60, said she attended two meetings hosted by apartment management in October to inform residents about the renovations. They were told they would be temporarily moved to a hotel.
At first, Edmond said, neighbors were excited to get new appliances and upgrades. She and her fellow residents were promised apartments with new appliances and upgraded fixtures, including stainless steel refrigerators and ovens.
“They said, 'You don't have to lift a finger. You don't have to worry about anything.' It was promised,” Edmund said. “When I got home, the apartment was a mess. Sloppy, sloppy work.”
When Edmond and his disabled adult son returned to their two-bedroom unit in mid-November, the mother found deteriorated appliances, small kitchen cabinets, paint stains on the carpet, and littered with dust, dirt and debris. He was shocked to see what he was doing. around the apartment.
The small two-bedroom unit has news Reporters observed loose bathroom fixtures, peeling paint on some walls, scratches on the newly replaced floor, and a broken television propped up behind a sofa.
Edmond said the laundry door had fallen off multiple times, several belongings inside the house were broken, including flowerpots and tables, and several items were missing, including a curtain rod and food from the pantry.
John Clark, 65, said he returned home in mid-November to find his unit in a similar condition to Edmond's. He said his television was damaged, his Amazon Fire TV stick was lost and his refrigerator was downgraded to one without an ice maker.
Clark's roommate, Bobby Jefferson, 75, is waiting for a refund for the power cord to his power wheelchair, which was lost during renovations.
Mr. Edmond said apartment managers at Avenue 5 Residential rarely responded to repeated requests for repairs and referred complaints to general contractor Icon National.
Edmond is circulating a petition signed by more than a dozen residents with similar complaints and plans to raise the issue with the Dallas City Council.
Renovations are still ongoing throughout the complex, and Edmond said residents frequently come to her to report on the status of their apartments.
“A lot of people are frustrated and want some answers,” Edmond said. “And no one will give you an answer.”
