Rodent and insect infestations, a sewage backup and black mold forced tenants out of their homes at a Washtenaw County apartment complex, prompting a Michigan congresswoman to press the Trump administration to intervene.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, called conditions at the Sycamore Meadows apartment complex “despicable” as it suffers from “neglectful property management, inadequate maintenance services and unhealthy and unlivable conditions.”
The 262-unit complex, located in Superior Township northeast of Ypsilanti, is funded through Section 8 rental assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In a May 22 letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Dingell pressed for answers and demanded a timeline for federal officials to address the squalid conditions.
“The residents of Sycamore Meadows deserve a safe, healthy environment to live in, along with management that both cares about and responds to their needs quickly,” Dingell said in a statement. “Residents should not have to report issues like mold growth or flooding multiple times to even get a response from property management, and HUD needs to step in when that is the case.”
Superior Township officials recently posted a notice at the leasing office, informing management that the complex is out of compliance with the township’s Rental Inspection Program.
In a statement posted to social media, the township said it has fielded numerous ongoing complaints about conditions at Sycamore Meadows but stressed that the property has not been condemned, contrary to rumors.
“The Township’s concerns about conditions at Sycamore Meadows are serious and longstanding,” the township said.
Local officials have responded to residents’ complaints by referring them to legal services, while they continued to pressure the property managers to address the issues.
“The property’s ownership and management status is complicated and tied to foreclosure-related and federal housing oversight processes,” the township’s statement said. “Many decisions about management, funding, repairs, and long-term accountability remain outside the Township’s direct control.”
Earlier this month, a sewage backup at one building on the property forced residents to vacate their homes. They’re now being housed in hotels, paid for by the township, officials said.
The township has repeatedly asked HUD to step in, officials said.
“Residents deserve safe, habitable housing, timely repairs, clear communication, and management that responds with urgency and respect,” the township said in its statement.
Calls placed by The Detroit News to the Sycamore Meadows leasing office went unanswered. The apartments are managed by Texas-based Tarantino Properties Inc., which didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Dingell said sewage backups and flooding have been persistent issues at Sycamore Meadows. Residents have also reported long periods without functioning furnaces during winter, foul odors and rodent and insect infestations that required them to cover their vents.
Residents have also dealt with black mold, holes in ceilings and drainage and plumbing issues that have been ignored by management, officials said. Some residents have been threatened with utility shutoffs because managers have failed to process utility vouchers, Dingell added in her letter to the HUD secretary.
She is asking Turner to explain the anticipated timeline for addressing the living conditions and to clarify HUD’s process for overseeing the complex. She asked Turner to respond to her questions by June 1.
Issues at the affordable apartment complex have been brewing for years, according to township board meeting minutes. In 2015, a homicide took place at the complex, the third in as many years. Township officials said the crime wasn’t captured on surveillance footage because property management failed to heed law enforcement’s recommendation to install functioning cameras.
In 2018, the township supervisor reported that 95% of the units there failed a biannual inspection.
In 2020, Dingell sent a letter to then-HUD Secretary Ben Carson, complaining that managers were failing to address resident concerns about lack of property ventilation and air conditioning.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Dingell pressures HUD to answer for ‘despicable’ conditions at apartments
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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