Charlotte hotel owner faces code violations, but the city hasn’t released info publicly
The owner of the west Charlotte hotel where tenants are living in poor conditions is facing code violation notices from the city. But officials have declined to provide details and have yet to release public records about how many violations are pending, and what they’re for.
The Charlotte Observer on Nov. 14 submitted a public records request to the city for the alleged code violations at the Lamplighter Inn ahead of a Tuesday code hearing for the owner. A week later, the city had not responded.
Warren Wooten, the assistant director for affordable housing, and Leslie Blaser, an operations manager at the city’s Housing and Neighborhood Services office, referred questions from The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday to Jerry Green, the city’s enforcement division manager. He was unavailable for comment, however.
Several of the more than 60 people living at the hotel off Interstate 85 on Eddleman Road have reported problems with their rooms, including leaking ceilings, cockroaches, poor plumbing, and water they’re uncomfortable drinking. The owner has stopped fixing things, they’ve said.
Records show the hotel is owned by Comodo Care, a business registered to Chandresh Patel, who has declined interview requests from the Observer.
The owner in a code violation case has the option of showing up to a hearing, but it’s not required. No one showed up to the hearing for the Lamplighter on Tuesday at a city code office, according to officials.
Attendance simply allows someone a chance to respond, said Tommy Bernesser, a service area manager at Code Enforcement. In fact, Bernesser said, most people — property owners or tenants who made complaints — don’t attend.
Another hearing coming
Two Nov. 7 notices taped to the hotel’s office door and viewed by The Charlotte Observer stated that two rooms had cracks and holes in walls, and moisture stains. The documents also said a water heater was not working at the time of the inspection.
The hearing for those violations is scheduled for Dec. 5, the documents say.
Months of complaints
Some people living at the hotel moved to the property early this year to be part of what they thought would be a nonprofit-run supportive housing program called Vermelle’s Place. They were supposed to receive affordable rent and on-site health services, counselors and a housing specialist.
But a Charlotte Observer investigation published in July found tenants lived in substandard rooms, and services weren’t being offered.
Utilities, including water and electricity, have been cut off without warning. Gas was also shut off and tenants have gone weeks without hot water. Rooms continue to fall into disrepair, trash has stopped being collected consistently and piles up, and key cards to rooms have stopped working, risking lockouts.
Code Enforcement process
For property owners and tenants, a Code Enforcement hearing is more of a discussion, Bernesser said, and an opportunity to ask questions about the process.
“That hearing for them is an opportunity to discuss whether or not they feel the violations existed on their property,” Bernesser said. “We can provide them with explanations regarding the violations of the conditions that we observed. They can dispute anything at that time that we observed.”
Regardless of attendance, Code Enforcement will provide an owner with a “finding of fact,” which will detail the violations and deadline for fixing them.
If those violations haven’t been remedied by the time Code Enforcement reinspects the property, Bernesser said, the owner could face a $100 per day civil penalty until compliance is met.
If an owner doesn’t comply they could end up in court, he said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
