City manager-for-life Pam Syfert has tried to bury the Mecklenburg Mills mess for a solid month now, but city just keeps getting stuck deeper. Now the city of Charlotte has spent $121,000 to put residents of its condemned apartment complex up at the kind of extended stay hotels that — surprise! — are not the nicest places.
Better still, it turns out that the city did not conduct any kind of inspection of the property before it took it over from a developer who defaulted on a city-backed loan. Then again, what is the point? The city essentially became the owner of last resort as soon as it guaranteed the loan. (see City, Fair.)
In any event, residents did not like getting moved to some sketchy digs:
After they checked those locations city leaders found a few drug-related police calls.
“If it is drug-infested, as some people say, we didn’t know that,” said Pan Syfert, Charlotte’s city manager.
Officials also admitted it did not conduct a comprehensive structural inspection when it took Mecklenburg Mills over from a developer who defaulted on a $2.4 million city loan.
“I think the lesson learned is more on the front end side on getting into those particular loans in the first place,” said Syfert.
It was a controversial decision made years ago that is now costing the city money and evacuees peace of mind.
“It’s like ‘The Godfather’ it keeps coming back,” said Mayor Pat McCrory.
Evacuees said they never thought they would be treated like this.
Syfert also said the city wouldn’t deliberately put people in places they thought were unsafe.
As for the $2.4 million loan, all the city got back was a couple of interest payments, officials said.
Can we get out of the housing business now? Please.
