Rochester Apartment Building Condemned Over Safety Violations
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The City of Rochester has taken the unusual step of condemning an occupied apartment building.
A news release from the city says the Rochester Fire Department responded on Saturday to the Creekside Apartments at 1455 Marion Road Southeast and discovered a water pipe was broken and water was rushing into and flooding an apartment unit. A required direct water shut-off valve was not installed that would've allowed the firefighters to stop the flooding.
The firefighters also noticed and documented broken windows and a missing patio door, which exposed the apartment units to the outside weather. The news release says they also found a broken fire sprinkler line and the fire alarm system was damaged and inoperable. At that point, they notified the operators of the apartment that a fire watch needed to be implemented until the fire alarm system could be fixed.
The city indicated it coordinated the condemnation and communicated the necessary repairs to the owners of the property, Phoenix Development. The news release says the company currently owns another rental property in the city with a similar history of delayed maintenance.
If the documented safety violations are resolved, the city has indicated the property can be reoccupied.
City officials say the Olmsted County Housing Stability Team has met with each family impacted by the condemnation and has created a plan to provide temporary housing in a hotel while their belongings are stored in a safe place.
