Heat, electricity slowly returning to KC apartments, but problems remain
Apartments along North Lawn avenue in Historic Northeast are trouble spot for residents
Apartments along North Lawn avenue in Historic Northeast are trouble spot for residents
Apartments along North Lawn avenue in Historic Northeast are trouble spot for residents
Electricity and heat are slowly returning to a set of apartment buildings along North Lawn avenue in Kansas City’s Historic Northeast neighborhood.
But, residents say problems remain as their furnaces are rusty and they are not getting mail delivery.
Sofia Be said her heat was restored Tuesday afternoon after remaining off for nearly five days. Still, her furnace showed signs of disrepair, with rust damage near the burning and duct tape holding pipes together.
“I want my neighbors to be warm,” Be said. “My family. I just want that.”
Be said she had kept her children warm with blankets and space heaters.
She has lived in the apartments since 2018, and like many of her neighbors, Be is a Burmese refugee. Her kids attend a nearby elementary school, and she does not want to move.
Forty-eight units of the apartment complex are owned by FTW Investments, which acquired the property roughly 18 months ago. A spokesman said the property is in the process of a sale.
City records show at least 18 calls to 311 about the property address since December 2021, including complaints about trash overflowing and people getting into the building illegally.
The building’s owner said squatters broke into the apartments last Thursday night, starting a fire near the electrical system. The fire department initially would not approve turning on the building’s gas until the owners made fixes up to code standards.
FTW Investments' Chief Executive Officer Parker Webb spent Tuesday at the complex again overseeing repairs.
Kansas City Health Department officials and fire department officials remained on site to demand repairs from the owner.
KMBC 9 Investigates will continue to work with city officials, including the Kansas City, Missouri Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Program. If you have any complaints about apartments, you can contact the Healthy Homes program at 816-513-6464.