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Wilmington Housing Authority properties facing code violations, most stemming from third-party management

New Brooklyn Homes is a Wilmington Housing Authority property located on the North end of downtown Wilmington, near the Isabel Holmes Bridge.
Kelly Kenoyer
/
WHQR
New Brooklyn Homes is a Wilmington Housing Authority property located on the North end of downtown Wilmington, near the Isabel Holmes Bridge.

The city of Wilmington’s code enforcement department has cases on six apartments owned and managed by the Wilmington Housing Authority for failing to meet minimum housing standards.

The city of Wilmington’s code enforcement department has cases on six apartments owned and managed by the Wilmington Housing Authority for failing to meet minimum housing standards.

Most of the apartments are part of New Brooklyn Homes, a complex of flats and townhomes owned by WHA. But most of the cases on the complex were opened while it was being managed by Excel Property management, a third-party company. The first minimum housing case was opened in May of this year.

The five apartments at New Brooklyn Homes that failed minimum standards had problems ranging from water leaks, mold and water damage, to electrical issues. WHA took over management of the property from Excel in the first half of November, after all of the cases had already been opened.

However, WHA CEO Tyrone Garrett has not acknowledged emails from City Code Enforcement officer Brian Renner related to the cases, according to public records reviewed by WHQR. Those emails were sent in September and November respectively: before and after WHA took over management of New Brooklyn Homes.

Asked about these cases, Garrett told WHQR in an email that he has not had the chance to evaluate the property fully since taking over management. He added, quote, “Minimum are not my standards that I use,” and said he could not provide more information for at least 45 days.

One apartment lacked heat and hot water for a time, according to case files, but the HVAC system has since been repaired.

There's also one case open at Solomon Towers for bed bugs, although the tenant in that case tells WHQR that the property managers have offered treatments on their apartment repeatedly. The most recent of these treatments appears to have worked, she said, though she worries about infestations in nearby apartments spreading back to her own.

Kelly Kenoyer is an Oregonian transplant on the East Coast. She attended University of Oregon’s School of Journalism as an undergraduate, and later received a Master’s in Journalism from University of Missouri- Columbia. Contact her by email at KKenoyer@whqr.org.