Carriage House Apartments in Petersburg gets new roof 3 months after code violations forced residents out

PETERSBURG, Va. — Roofers were five stories up Monday morning, installing a new roof at the Carriage House Apartments in Old Towne Petersburg.

The work comes roughly 2.5 months after residents were allowed to return to the low-income housing complex, following a temporary shutdown over code violations.

Residents say the leaking roof has long been a problem at the complex.

"Right there in the corner, it was leaking from the 5th Floor Down," Wilson Johnson, who lives at the Carriage House, said.

On May 12, city code enforcement placed a red tag on the building, declaring it unsafe to live in.

"At 5 o'clock, the building is done, the red tag is in full effect," Kenneth Miller of the City of Petersburg said.

"They can't stay in there," Miller said.

More than 100 residents were forced to temporarily move out. The city said necessary repairs included addressing failures in the water-heating system and boiler, roof and pipe leaks, and resolving other unsanitary conditions.

Two weeks after residents moved out, federal and state legislators visited the complex, looking for answers about the living conditions residents had faced.

Seventeen days after the red tag was placed on the front door, a re-inspection by city code enforcement resulted in the red tag being removed. On June 4, residents were allowed to move back in.

Now, with a new roof going up, residents say they hope the work finally puts an end to the water leak issues.

"I think it's a plus, getting the roof done. It's a plus," Ricky Charles, who lives at the Carriage House, said.

"Hopefully that's going to be taken care of," Charles said.

I reached out to the owners of Carriage House Apartments about the new roof and whether any other repairs or renovations are in the works. They have not responded.

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