‘It’s killing me.’ Redevelopment to force hundreds in a south Charlotte complex to move
Strewn across Levert Smith’s apartment floor are boxes and Rubbermaid bins filled with her cherished belongings. All her life she’s always had her own space but things are about to change.
Since 2019, Smith has lived at Crest on Providence apartments near the intersections of Providence Road and Sardis Lane. In that time she has faced repeated maintenance issues, she said. In January, she wanted to end her lease, but was told by the landlord she would not be allowed.
Now suddenly, she has to be out in May when her lease is up.
In March, Smith and her neighbors in the 473-unit complex received letters notifying them they would not be able to renew their leases. It’s very short notice for many families, residents told The Charlotte Observer. Many are worried amid the city’s affordable housing crisis, they won’t be able to find decent housing and could end up homeless once displaced.
While the property is not classified as affordable based on a specific area-median income, many units are priced well below comparable apartments in the same 28270 zip code.
Earlier in the year, Smith searched for apartments when she first considered leaving. One bedroom apartments were going for nearly $1,400, she said — about $275 higher than she currently pays. She decided to stay put until she could save more money.
The thought of moving now is very stressful.
“It’s killing me,” Smith, 69, said. “I don’t have anybody here.”
Earlier this year, Levine Properties, which manages Crest on Providence, filed a rezoning petition for Providence Road. The plan would replace a portion of what Levine Properties considers dated housing with upgraded units. More than 100 apartments at Crest on Providence would be renovated, the Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Colleen Brannan, a property spokeswoman, said the 55-year-old complex had reached the end of its economic and physical life and must be replaced. Levine Properties is working with city housing agencies, conducting one on ones and hosting housing fairs to assist residents.
“All have been given a 60-day notice with the option of 30 more if they need it,” Brannan said in an email to the Observer.
‘This is home.’
Smith, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools educator, has lived in her current unit since September after moving from a previous unit due to mold. In February, she resigned from her job due to respiratory issues, she said.
She is still passionate about teaching. Smith tutors some 25 kids each week, including many of her neighbors’ children. It’s the community feel she’s developed in her years there.
Her current unit is not better. In her closet, aluminum foil covers the pipe of a cooling unit. She also can point to a mud-colored stain on her ceiling that she believes is a sign of mold.
Smith doubts the new units will be for working class people like herself. It has been disappointing to see how current residents are treated.
Despite maintenance and mold problems, she has enjoyed the community she built in Charlotte, she said. But in the coming months, her plan is to move in with a relative in Winston-Salem.
“This is where I wanted to be,” Smith said. “This is home.”
A torn community
Bertin Mangongo, another Crest resident, said he first heard the rumors in February about the leases, he wasn’t worried. A decision of that magnitude would come through official channels, he said.
But the March letter that came was “troubling.” He would have to find a new apartment by August. He said residents now have to fend with a lack of available affordable housing and rising rents, all without the disposable income to move. He has not found a new apartment yet.
“They put us in a very stressful situation,” Mangongo said.
Isaac Sturgill, attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina, said developers often give properties face lifts to charge higher rent. Sometimes developers move tenants out to do the needed work. Other times they do the work while the tenants remain, raise the rent and give them an ultimatum to pay the new rent or leave.
“We see these situations a lot unfortunately,” he said.
But there’s not much protection for private tenants, he said. A private landlord does not have to give good reason or cause to refuse to renew someone’s lease, he said. And unless stated in the lease there is not a statutory guideline on how much notice should be given, he added.
“It’s really at the whim of the landlord and the market,” Sturgill said.
Median rents across Charlotte rose by an average of 4.2% to $1,900, The Observer previously reported. The 28270 ZIP code — which includes Crest on Providence Apartments — had a median rent of $1,920.
John Fuller, a 35-year-old resident of Crest on Providence, said it’s the type of prices he’s seeing as he looks for apartments. He’s lived with his family in the apartment for five years. But their lease is now expected to end in August.
Fuller said he is worried about finding a new affordable unit. He currently pays around $1,300 for a two-bedroom apartment. He’s also is concerned that moving would require his children to change schools.
“I’m disappointed because it’s a community my family and I grew to love,” he said.
Being uprooted out of the blue is a tough pill to swallow, he said. Residents could have also been notified last year before renewing their leases, he added.
“But there was nothing,” Fuller said. “Nobody was talking about any of this.”
Alycia Fuller, his wife, said it’s clear who developers want in the area. The complex is filled with hardworking Black and brown people, she said. Some are entrepreneurs like her, she added. She owns Galloway’s Plate, a meal prepping catering company that services the area.
But near the neighborhood homes sell for nearly $1 million, she said.
“We know the demographic they’re pushing in and the demographic they’re going to push out,” Alycia Fuller, 32, said.
John Fuller said it could push many families of color to Charlotte’s outskirt areas. He worried others could end up homeless, he said. As for will his own family remain in Charlotte he has a simple answer: “If we can.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 3:48 PM.
