Columbus sues owner of apartment complexes

Columbus has sued an apartment complex owner who has racked up dozens of city health and safety code violations and more than $75,000 in fines.

City Attorney Zach Klein said at a news conference Wednesday that the combined 802 units at the Mayfair Apartments in the Eastmoor neighborhood, Hartford on the Lake on the Southeast Side and the Fitzroy Apartments on the Northeast Side have been plagued by problems.

Some units have water damage, mold, exposed wiring, rodent and insect infestations and other safety hazards, including a collapsed roof. The most serious issues were found at Hartford on the Lake, across South Hamilton Road from Eastland Mall, which also has had crime problems including two homicides in 2016.

The city started fining AMG Realty Group and owner Adam Glickman $1,000 a day on June 1 after working with the property owner for more than a year to fix problems at those complexes, said Steve Schoeny, the city’s economic development director.

Now, the city is seeking a court order to declare the properties a public nuisance and for the Illinois-based property owner to repair the complexes.

“Our goal is to abate the nuisance. Most of the time, the owners want to comply. They want to be good, responsible owners. Sometimes, like this, we do have to take the next step and file a lawsuit or go to the $1,000 a day fine, which is what we have here,” Klein said. “The owner simply does not want to be a good steward of his property, and the only people that really suffer are the folks that live around here and the folks that are trying to raise their families in these units.”

The city did not shutter the apartment complexes, and residents can remain there while the property owner complies with the city orders.

“We’re working to achieve compliance and bring them up to standard, but it’s not to the point where we feel like someone’s life is in danger,” Schoeny said.

Glickman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The city’s Pro-Active Code Enforcement team and city attorneys have been looking at Glickman’s properties for about two years. Code enforcement officials contacted him in March 2017 and developed a compliance schedule for all three properties in January.

Code enforcement officers found violations at 200 different units, including 60 where the need was so urgent that the violations needed to be fixed within two weeks. AMG fixed many of those problems, but five remain out of compliance, and 46 new cases have been opened since the April deadline to fix violations passed.

In some cases, the original problem was fixed but the city has received complaints that the unit has fallen back into disrepair, said Patrick Wilkens, a city code enforcement officer.

As long as violations on the original compliance schedule remain, the city will continue to fine AMG $1,000 a day, said Dana Rose, city code enforcement administrator. Code enforcement officers check daily on whether those problems are fixed.