COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus city attorney said Friday he will initiate a contempt action against the owner, receiver and lender involved with Colonial Village Apartments.
Hundreds of people were displaced this week after they were found by city officials living in units that were not supposed to be rented out due to code violations.
Friday was the deadline for the lender and receiver to present a plan to move forward. But City Attorney Zach Klein said regardless, he's moving ahead with legal action.
"What I've already instructed my team is that starting Monday, because the courts close [Friday], to go ahead and initiate a contempt action against the owner, receiver and the lender,” he said.
According to Klein, the former property manager, Hayes Gibson Property Services, was banned from the premises. The property management company, Capstone, took over last month. The city attorney's office said they've been cooperative with addressing emergency code violations and prioritizing units housing families with young children.
“The folks that are living in these units, a vast majority of them are living in units that were designated to be vacant. They were, under the court order, not allowed to have tenants in them, for various reasons, code violations, health and sanitary reasons,” Klein said.
Klein said it's an all too familiar scenario. On Christmas Eve last year, more than 100 residents were displaced when the Latitude Five25 apartments were shut down due to electrical issues and flooding.
“I think that the lessons that we learned from Christmas at Sawyer Towers last year is a good road map. Get them into a hotel as a transitional place. And I know the Department of Development and working with my office has already started that process.”
For Colonial Village, the city's focus is on helping hundreds who were living there while making sure taxpayers don't foot the bill.
“We'll pay the bill now if we have to but then we will seek reimbursement later so that it's not on the taxpayers in the city of Columbus.”
A separate criminal investigation is underway, according to Columbus Police.