COLUMBUS, Ohio — The owners of an east Columbus apartment complex will sell the property or be taken over by new management, according to Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein.
Klein said the city and the owner of Latitude Five25 on Sawyer Boulevard are nearing a deal to sell the complex in the next three months, in addition to paying a $50,000 contempt fine at closing.
The city filed multiple contempt motions against the owners of the complex, Paxe Latitude, for continued code violations.
Klein's office said the owners violated multiple terms of a May 2022 court order that required them to bring the property into compliance with safety and code violations.
The complex has been on the city's radar for a couple of years. Klein said police have received more than 1,000 service calls between January 2020 and January 2022, including calls for shots fired, shootings, overdoses, narcotics complaints, reports of domestic violence and fights on the property.
In addition, City Code Enforcement has received multiple complaints from residents of unsafe and unsanitary conditions, including common areas not being cleaned, insect infestations and failure of staff to respond to maintenance request.
In August and September, Klein's office filed two separate motions to hold the owners in contempt of court following multiple violations of the May agreement. The violations include failure to maintain security on the property, multiple reports of gun violence and multiple unaddressed code violations, including the termination of electricity to the complex as a result of the owners not paying their utility bill.
The agreement between the city is still being finalized, but the owners will have 90 days to sell the property or a third-party group will take over the property.
A finalized agreement between the city and the owners is expected in the coming weeks.