RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond officials responded Monday after a complete air conditioning failure struck all four buildings at Imperial Village.
The Northside apartment complex has faced mounting scrutiny over living conditions and code violations.
Late Monday night, air conditioning was restored to three of the four buildings.
City staff remained on site until 1 a.m. Tuesday to verify the system continued to function and that the three buildings were beginning to cool.
The Richmond Fire Department conducted wellness checks on approximately 50% of units until air conditioning was restored. No one required medical assistance at that time.
City staff planned to return Tuesday morning and remain on site throughout the day to confirm the air conditioning system is still functional. Staff will also meet with property owners and managers, who are continuing to address the air conditioning in the fourth building and other health, safety, and building code issues across the properties.
The City of Richmond said Monday it was notified earlier in the day that air conditioning systems had failed across the entire property.
"Throughout the day, the City met with the property managers to understand the details of the situation and to suggest possible paths forward for the owners to take to restore air conditioning to all buildings,” the city said in a statement.
The latest problems come just days after Richmond officials announced a sweeping enforcement effort at the complex, formerly known as Legacy at Imperial Village, following a CBS 6 investigation into deteriorating conditions at the property, which houses many elderly residents.
Watch: Richmond mayor takes action to hold apartment owners accountable after CBS 6 investigation
Residents previously told CBS 6 they had endured bed bug and cockroach infestations, broken elevators, unreliable air conditioning, and unsanitary common areas.
Resident John Reid said the problems stem from ownership, not on-site staff.
"This place has definitely not been well maintained, and it's not maintenance's fault; it's not the front office. It's the owners," Reid said. "What the tenants are looking for is all the infrastructure to function like it was designed to function or either be promptly repaired or replaced."
Advocate Joanna Jerrell said many tenants deserve better treatment.
"It breaks my heart as a caregiver to know that they're paying this money, there are veterans in this building that served their country, and they don't have what they need," Jerrell said.
Last week, Richmond code enforcement officials conducted what Mayor Danny Avula described as a more comprehensive inspection of the entire property after the city received a surge in complaints.
"Seeing the constellation of complaints that were coming up, in part thanks to your reporting, in part thanks to increased complaints and advocacy from residents of the building, it helped trigger for us, 'Okay, we do need to do a more coordinated, more robust look at this,'" Avula said.
Commissioner of Buildings David Alley said inspectors identified numerous "life safety" concerns, including failing backup power systems, deficient sprinklers, malfunctioning fire alarm panels, approximately 200 expired fire extinguishers, and widespread pest issues, including a cockroach infestation in the commercial kitchen, which inspectors shut down immediately.
City records list the ownership entity for the property as Imperial Propco LLC, based in Lakewood, New Jersey.
Alley previously said the city hoped to work collaboratively with ownership to address the issues before pursuing stronger enforcement measures.
"I found them to be really sincere," Alley said after meeting with ownership representatives last week. "They were very transparent, and I feel that they are making sure that they're stepping forward."
Still, frustration among residents and some city leaders has continued to grow.
In a June 24 letter, Richmond City Councilwoman Kenya Gibson urged the mayor's administration to pursue legal action if violations at the property were not corrected by July 1.
Avula said the city remains open to escalating enforcement if problems persist.
"I think beyond that, if we find that a property owner is not complying or really egregiously exceeding the deadlines that we've set, then we do need to take another step," Avula said.
CBS 6 has previously reported the city opened at least 180 code enforcement cases at the complex since current ownership acquired the property in 2021.
"I want them to do the right thing, and give us what we signed a lease on, and treat us like we're humans," Reid said.
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