As development around the Crystal House Apartments begins to pick up speed, some current residents are raising concerns about the property's management.
A recent change in management companies has not resulted in improvements, several renters said at last week's meeting of the county's Tenant-Landlord Commission.
"I have seen absolutely no difference" in communication and the handling of maintenance requests, resident Mandy Shimizu told commission members.
In April, Washington Housing Conservancy, which owns the affordable housing development along S. Eads Street, transferred management responsibilities from Cushman & Wakefield to Avenue 5. The firm manages about 700 apartment complexes, according to its website.
Representatives from Avenue 5 attended the Wednesday meeting. They said they had installed a new property manager, staffed up leasing and maintenance operations, worked through a backlog of maintenance requests and connected with residents on lease renewals.
Resident Alexis Fox, however, echoed Shimizu's concerns about communication as well as trash collection.
Adrian Tomala, a property owner representative on the Tenant-Landlord Commission, said Avenue 5's improvement plan "looks great on paper" but also has to work in real-world conditions.
"You have a lot on your plate," Tomala said.
Sarah Lanford, a tenant representative on the commission, concurred that property-management switches can be difficult for all concerned.
"You all are taking on a huge burden," she said.
But Lanford expressed concern that Avenue 5 representatives were painting a rosy picture while residents attending the meeting saw the situation differently.
"I'm puzzled about the communication," she said.
Kristin Clegg, a landlord representative on the commission, said it appears to have been a "very difficult situation," but that often occurs during and immediately after a management switch.
"There's a lot of stuff that happens," Clegg said. "It sounds like you're working it out."
Commission members asked the property-management firm to provide copies of future outreach efforts to residents, and Lanford requested that concerned tenants stay in touch.
"I really appreciate your commitment," she told residents.
Units at Crystal House Apartments are available for people typically earning between 50% and 80% of the area median income. The original apartments will remain as a major development project unfolds on the parcel.
The overall plan for Crystal House and its surroundings includes at least 554 committed-affordable apartments out of a total of 783 new units.
That effort, announced in 2021, is a joint initiative of the county government, several housing developers, Washington Housing Conservancy and Amazon. The first new housing as a part of the initiative is expected to be available in 2027.
County Board members in March 2024 approved a proposal to place 88 units of additional affordable housing on the 16-acre Crystal House site. They also authorized a $12.2 million low-interest loan from the Affordable Housing Investment Fund to True Ground Housing Partners to support the project.