LANSING — The city is suing a south Lansing apartment building owner in an effort to force repairs at 147 apartments that have been deemed unsafe by Lansing inspectors.

The remaining units, around 190 apartments at the Woodside Meadows Apartments, also known as Sycamore Townhomes at 4590 Seaway Drive, near the intersection of Waverly and Jolly roads, are in danger of being deemed uninhabitable because the apartment owner has at least $84,000 in unpaid water and electric bills with the city-owned Lansing Board of Water & Light, according to the lawsuit.

“The property is now at imminent risk of having the utilities shut off,” the city wrote in its complaint.

The lawsuit is the most recent court action from the city aimed at landlords of housing complexes that aren’t in compliance with city codes. Lansing officials said they have been working to shrink a growing list of unsafe, red-tagged residences.

Scott Bean, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, declined to talk about the lawsuit’s allegations but said the city is taking housing seriously.

“People who rent homes and apartments in the city deserve to have safe, decent housing and this administration will continue to move forward with plans to ensure that rental housing is inspected and meets standards,” Bean said. “When it falls below standards, code enforcement will work within the law, or if needed, with the city attorney and take any necessary actions.”

The State Journal reported last summer after analyzing the city’s red tag list that more than one in 10 residences on the list of more than 650 residences could be linked to a small group of landlords. The LSJ also reported that many of the homes had been on the list for years, including one declared unsafe on Oct. 31, 2003. The list also included 19 homes or apartments that had been on the list for a decade or more and 92 tagged as unlivable for more than five years.

Lawsuit moves to federal court

The city filed its lawsuit against Woodside in Eaton County Circuit Court on May 31. The complex is located on the southwestern edge of the city.

Defense attorneys for Berel Farkas, a New York resident who owns the complex through several companies, asked to have the lawsuit moved to the U.S. District Court’s Western District of Michigan on Wednesday, and the request was approved Thursday.

Jacob Carlton, a Grand Rapids attorney with the Miller Johnson firm that represents Farkas in the lawsuit, said the lawsuit is still being reviewed. Farkas’ affidavit, filed in federal court, does not address the substance of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also seeks $47,750 in city fines and wants a court to force the apartment repairs which “will far exceed $75,000.”

The complaint claims the apartment complex’s owners have not made progress on a laundry list of repairs that were deemed necessary in the summer of 2022.

Fire damaged units and missing windows

The apartments in the Woodside complex have all been tagged, meaning a city inspector has found issues that amount to either being unsafe, requiring a red tag, or needing repairs before a unit can be rented out again, requiring a pink tag.

In addition to problems with the units, city officials have had to mow the property and hire outside services for the complex including emergency fencing to surround piles of unlicensed demolition debris left in the parking lot and boarding up broken-into apartments, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit primarily focuses on alleged problems at the 147 red-tagged apartments, which include fire damaged units, damaged roofs, broken or missing windows, gaps or holes under sinks and in exterior walls, missing or damaged exterior doors, bug or roach infestations, lack of hard-wired smoke detectors, leaking or broken faucets, pipes or fixtures, missing or damaged basement steps, furnaces and water heaters in poor condition, requiring professional intervention and accumulation of trash, combustibles or feces.

The complaint is the most recent action by the city against a large apartment complex over code violation issues as local officials contend good housing is increasingly hard to find.

Autumn Ridge residents get some good news

The city has been in litigation with the former owners of Autumn Ridge Apartments, and they have been at odds for years over red tag disputes.

The complex was sold in May and is now known as Evergreen Park Townhomes and Apartments and is under new management as well as new owners Beztak of Farmington Hills. Beztak also owns the Ferris Park Towers on Walnut Street.

Bean said the new owners have taken quick and decisive action to begin fixing problems in the past month.

Also, city officials announced a year ago that they reached a settlement that would force a property management company to fix 21 properties in the city and end a lawsuit brought by the city after it had to house residents in hotel rooms because numerous apartments in one of the company’s complexes were red-tagged.

The settlement required Lansing-based Simtob Management to make repairs within three months and to reimburse the city for hotel costs after dozens of residents were ousted from the Holmes Apartments in March 2023 when the city red-tagged the units, according to a city memo.

But the city’s list of red-tagged properties continues to grow. The city had 672 red-tagged units a year ago, on June 1. On June 4 this year it had 788 red-tagged units, a 17% increase in about a year, according to a city website tracking the tags.

Residents who live in a red-tagged home are advised to leave because city inspectors believe it is no longer safe to be there. According to the city’s code, it is illegal to live in a property that is tagged unsafe or unfit for residency.

The reality is many residents have little recourse: It’s costly and time-consuming to move, often requiring non-refundable application fees so many residents opt to stay.

Anyone who feels they are living in substandard conditions can call the city’s housing office at 517-483-4477 or visit Housing Ombudsman | Lansing, MI – Official Website (lansingmi.gov).

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing sues another large apartment complex owner over 147 red-tagged units