BEDFORD – Today, July 28, the Bedford Planning and Zoning Department met to discuss the matter of Southview Terrace’s condemned and damaged units.
According to Plan Director and Zoning Director Brandon Woodward, no one has been evicted or removed from their apartments, but there are several issues that need to be addressed.
The Southview Terrace apartments, owned by Jeffery Jones, is a point of many safety concerns. Of the units, 36 units are rented, 46 are empty, and 38 have been tagged as uninhabitable due to unsafe conditions including mold, rotten flooring and walls, and leaking roofs.
Woodward reported that all of the 36 units that are rented have had smoke detectors installed in the hallways, kitchens and bedrooms.
On June 1, a list was compiled of the safety concerns and repairs needed for each building. Some of those concerns were photographed as proof.
In many of the vacant apartments, the floors are rotting from where roofs have leaked and drained to the units below, resulting in mold.
There were also issues with electric outlets on the exterior of some of the buildings, as well as open, exposed electric boxes. This causes a safety hazard to anyone who might come into contact with the wires.
“Make no mistake these issues need and will be addressed,” Hearing officer Bough told owner Jeff Jones. “I want these electrical boxes and exposed wiring addressed. Anyone could stick their hands into the box. There are open lines hanging out of boxes. This is a major safety concern.”
“This has been going on for years and it is to the point we cannot let it continue,” added Woodward.
During the meeting, Hearing Officer Brad Bough was given more than 100 photos for his review.
Jeffery Jones accepted responsibility regarding the state of the units and need for repairs. The owner says that the some of the exposed outlets, open electric boxes, and wires have already been dealt with.
Moving forward, Jones must provide proof of work being completed, including the names and information of hired contractors.
Inspector Jason Stigall lodged concerns about the state of the apartments as well. According to the Fire Department, it’s difficult for them to locate emergencies at the apartments because none of the units are marked or numbered. Additionally, whether or not they are occupied is unclear.
“This is a safety concern for our firefighters,” said Hughes.
Because of the poor state of many of the units, the Fire Department doesn’t want to put men unnecessarily at risk of entering houses with unstable, weak flooring that could collapse and cause injuries, especially if those residences were vacant to begin with.
Brad Bough stated that the units must be identified as soon as possible.
A suggestion made by the board was to have either a reflective notice in the street-facing windows, or even an orange or white reflective sticker that could be placed without entering residences while renters are gone.
The owners must properly identify which apartment units are occupied and which are not. The City set an inspection to be completed by this time next week, Friday, August 4th. The inspection will ensure the identification has been completed.
Additionally, Bough ordered all 15 occupied units must be fully repaired within 60 days and inspected by the Building Inspector to confirm the work is completed.
Southview Terrace is a Section 8 voucher provider, so Bough also ordered that since Jones accepts Section 8 housing funds, he must also abide by all state and federal laws and local ordinances.
Rita Foddrell, who oversees property for Jones in Bloomington has made great progress since taking over the property in Bedford. She has only been working on the Bedford apartment issues for a little more than a week.
“We have all issues addressed in the occupied units but five,” she told the board. She told WBIW she was left with a mess when she took over the project from the former property managers.
“We are making progress, but it will take some time,” she added.
The Board ordered that after the initial 60 days and after all the occupied apartments are fixed, Jones must start fixing the 38 condemned apartments. Of the 38 apartments, half of the units should be fully completed within 60 days. The other half should be completed within the following 60 days. A 30-day extension will be granted by the city for major issues that may develop.
Jones may not rent any apartments until they are fully approved for repairs and made habitable.
The city also suspended Jones’ multi-family housing permit until the necessary repairs are made. If work is not completed and or stalls, Jones’ housing permit will be permanently suspended and the complex will have to be vacated.
