Troy residents ready to return home after forced evacuation

Forced evacuees of the Harbour Point Gardens Apartments in Troy are still not allowed to return home. It’s been nearly a month, since the code enforcers deemed the apartments unfit to live and on July 13th Mayor Patrick Madden issued a stop work order on the building.

The back and forth between the City of Troy and the owners Lexington Property Group has left dozens stranded.

Harbour Point Gardens’ Resident, Donna Vito says she’s been staying in a hotel for weeks now. She paid her rent this month when rent was due, because she says the owners have made sure her and her disabled neighbor have a place to lay their head down at night. “They’re keeping us all updated, they’re just really going all out of their way. We all want to go home, we really do, but this is the next best thing,” she said.

Vito says she was blindsided by the abrupt mandate to leave, and her first concern was for her neighbor. Now the two are making the most of their situation. “She’s got two artificial hips, and heart problems, she’s hooked up to oxygen, she said. We got a room. I’m close to her, adjoining rooms, the staff where we are is wonderful and everybody’s working together.”

Mayor Madden issued a stop work order on Harbour Point Gardens when his office says they did not receive the required building permit from the owners. The city says code enforcement issued tickets for a series of violations which included broken glass at entry doors, holes in the walls, and a lack of carbon monoxide detectors.

A rep for Lexington Property Group says the owners met with city officials on July 17th, and are hopeful they can move forward. The owners say they fixed the initial cause for the city’s removal of tenants which involved the brick façade. In a statement the owners said in part, “We’ve been given direction on what needs repair… then when we complete the repairs… we’re given new reasons to keep tenants out. We respectfully disagree with the city…most of the items added are routine or maintenance items.”

The Mayor’s Office is requesting the owner’s to appear in Troy City Court next Friday, July 28th.