Federal housing officials found a host of health and safety violations at a Columbia affordable-housing community, prompting the county to take over management of the property and move toward a total redevelopment.
“There were major issues that weren?t addressed over time,” said Stacy Spann, director of Howard?s Department of Housing and Community Development.
The 100-unit Guilford Gardens failed a November inspection by the federal Housing and Urban Development Department. Violations included exposed wiring, insufficient locks and problems with plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, Spann said.
The county has terminated the contract with Vision Realty Management LLC, which managed the county-owned development, because the company was not responsive to the findings, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said.
Without passing inspection, Guilford Gardens could lose its federal Section 8 support of about $80,000 a month, Ulman said. Guilford Gardens is one of the few developments in the county to receive such funding.
County officials also found the Guilford Gardens Cooperative, the tenant-controlled lessee, had more than $200,000 in outstanding payments to vendors, including the county. The county and the State?s Attorney?s Office is investigating this and other financial irregularities.
Now, the county is “straightening out a mess and taking control,” Ulman said.
County staff have been working their way through the violations list, which they expect to have remedied in the next week or two, Spann said.
Guilford Garden?s problems have prompted county officials to jump-start redevelopment plans. The overhaul will feature environmentally friendly design and follow a mixed-income model.
The county might need to increase the project?s density to attract a range of income levels, Ulman said. This move follows one of the recommendations of the Affordable Housing Task Force report.
“It will give us full spectrum housing, which is a big plus,” said Sherman Howell, a member of the task force and the African American Coalition of Howard County.
Instead of putting all affordable units in one project, Sherman said he wants to see doctors and lawyers living alongside low-wage workers.
“We?re not building any more projects,” he said.
IF YOU GO
» What: Public hearing on proposed housing changes.
» When: Monday at 7 p.m.
» Where: 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia
