South Lansing Apartment complex faces city in court

Todd Heywood
·3 min read

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Since September, the New Jersey based Woodside Meadows Apartments has been locked in a battle with the city of Lansing.

Court records reveal the Lansing City Attorney filed a charge of failing to register a rental property September 22, 2023, in 54-A District Court.

In February, city records show, officials from the Office of Code Compliance swept through the apartment complex in southwest Lansing affixing red and pink tags on every unit.

Construction debris piled in front of the Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments in South Lansing. (WLNS)
Construction debris piled in front of the Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments in South Lansing. (WLNS)
One of many buildings in Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments complex in south Lansing that is red-tagged as unsafe by city officials. (WLNS)
One of many buildings in Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments complex in south Lansing that is red-tagged as unsafe by city officials. (WLNS)
Construction debris piled in front of the leasing office at Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments. (WLNS)
Construction debris piled in front of the leasing office at Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments. (WLNS)
One of 146 red tags on units are Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments in South Lansing. (WLNS)
One of 146 red tags on units are Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments in South Lansing. (WLNS)
A door to a townhome at Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments apparently kicked in. (WLN)
A door to a townhome at Sycamore Townhomes and Apartments apparently kicked in. (WLN)

In total, the property has 344 units; 146 are red-tagged and the remaining 198 units have been pink-tagged. A red tag means a property is unsafe to live in or enter. A pink tag means a property requires enough work that if the current resident moves out, the property owner is prohibited from renting that unit to another person.

Despite the crackdown by city officials, property owners have not made enough progress. City officials confirm with 6 News that on April 16, 54-A District Court Judge Anthony Flores ordered the company and management to pay a total $15,000 in court fines. Flores ordered a fine of $10,000 for failing to follow a previous court order, and another fine of $5,000 for failing to bring the properties into compliance.

The city and the property owners and managers are due back in court at 2 p.m. Tuesday May 28. For the hearing, property owners and managers are expected to provide evidence they have completed all the repairs necessary to make the property’s units safe to live in. That compliance would also allow the city to register and certify the properties.

Woodside Meadows City of Lansing registerDownload

6 News visited the property Thursday evening. A drive through the complex found broken windows, boarded up windows, pink and red tags affixed to windows and doors and at least one door apparently kicked in and standing open.

A large pile of debris is inside a fenced in area at the front door of the complex’s leasing office.

Adam Hussain, the Third Ward Lansing City Councilmember representing the complex, tells 6 News the debris was dumped their by contractors out of protest. The contractors told him the owners and management have not paid them for their work renovating and demolishing various units on the property.

City officials declined to discuss the specific concerns that led the city to sue the property owners in September, citing the ongoing litigation.

A phone message left with the company’s answering services was not returned.

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