Richmond mayor takes action to hold apartment owners accountable after CBS 6 investigation

RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said the city is taking action after a CBS 6 investigation exposed poor living conditions at the Legacy at Imperial Village, a sprawling Northside apartment complex home to many seniors.

As we reported last month, residents complained about infestations of bed bugs and cockroaches, broken elevators, unreliable air conditioning, unclean common areas, and other concerns affecting their quality of life.

“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," said resident John Reid. “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.”

“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," said Joanna Jerrell, who cares for a man who lives at the complex.

WATCH: Richmond seniors struggle with bedbugs, broken elevators at apartment complex: 'It breaks my heart'

Avula said in recent months, the city has received "a much greater frequency of complaints" about conditions at Imperial, which compelled the city code enforcement team to perform a sweeping inspection of the entire property last week.

This inspection differed from ones conducted in the past, he said, because it was a thorough review of all aspects of the complex as opposed to a targeted investigation of an individual's complaint.

“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.

As a result of those efforts, Commissioner of Buildings David Alley said inspectors cited numerous "life safety" issues that posed immediate risks.

He said those issues included failing backup power, deficient sprinklers, troubled fire alarm panels, 200 expired extinguishers, and widespread pest problems including a cockroach infestation in the commercial kitchen. Inspectors shut the kitchen down on the spot.

Alley said he presented the findings to the owners during an in-person meeting on Tuesday. City records list the ownership entity as Imperial Propco LLC based in Lakewood, New Jersey.

“I found them to be really sincere. They were very transparent, and I feel that they are making sure that they're stepping forward," Alley said.

“Will there be any enforcement actions connected to this recent batch of violations, such as fines, such as compelling a third-party contractor to come in there?" reporter Tyler Layne asked.

“Well, it's very possible, but what we're hoping for, based on our meeting [Tuesday], that we'll take the next step. We have a few items that are already happening that should be fixed in a short period of time," Alley said.

CBS 6's previous reporting found the city had already opened at least 180 city code cases at Imperial since 2021, the year current ownership bought the property, but did not impose any fines.

“Do you feel like maybe the city could have taken some stronger action sooner to hold the owners accountable?” Layne asked.

“Well, I think every circumstance is different," Alley said. "I believe the city went out, and they did exactly what they needed to do. They got a complaint, they inspected it, they gave orders, they got compliance, and then they moved on to the next problem.”

“Does it feel like previously it was like 'put out a fire here, put out a fire there,' but you're not really addressing it systemically and wholly? Now, you're saying the city has developed that plan moving forward?” Layne asked.

“For this particular property, yes sir," Alley said.

In a letter dated June 24, Councilwoman Kenya Gibson, who represents the district where Imperial is located, called on the mayor's administration to take legal action against the owners if violations were not fixed by July 1.

Avula told CBS 6 in response that he was taking a more collaborative approach with the owners first, but if noncompliance persists, he is open to considering further options.

“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.

Alley added that the city must follow the process as laid out in the Virginia Construction Code, which requires a minimum period of time for corrections before penalties can be imposed. Such actions would involve taking the owners to court, he said.

Officials said once the "life safety" issues are appropriately addressed, the city will then move into the next phases of their oversight plan. That includes addressing non-emergency housekeeping items and implementing routine monitoring in the long-term to ensure corrections are sustained.

CBS 6 requested comment from Legacy at Imperial Village on the city's findings and has not yet heard back.

What the residents said they want is to be treated with dignity.

“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.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.