Troubled hotel-apartments in Edmond could be closed by city council
EDMOND — City leaders are expected to decide Monday if they wish to pursue closing an east-side hotel/apartments operation that's experienced public safety and code related problems since at least 2014.
Members of the Edmond City Council declared New Life Village at 1300 E Ayers a public nuisance Feb. 26.
Council members also ordered the property owner to bring the 90-unit, three-story structure into compliance with Edmond, health, building and public safety codes, to bring aboard around-the-clock, CLEET-certified security to patrol the property and to install a continuously operating video security system there by March 11.
Consternation over how the building has been run is nothing new.
Edmond Medical Complex LLC, New Life Village's owner since December 2003, has been required to appear before the council three times in just the past six years to answer for health-related issues, fire-safety code violations and reported criminal activities at the property. Some of its problems date as far back as 2014.
Its owner avoided having the property condemned in 2019 after making ordered repairs and obtaining the council's approval to change its zoning so that the complex could be operated exclusively as a hotel.
In April 2022, the company was back before council members again, potentially facing a public nuisance declaration that could have closed it down.
Its owners avoided that fate by again agreeing to make ordered upgrades and successfully obtaining yet another zoning change in early 2023, allowing it to operate as a combination apartments/hotel business under the name New Life Village.
Owners' attorney asked Edmond council member to refrain from voting
Before council members took reports from Edmond's police, fire and code enforcement officials about issues involving the property on Feb. 26, attorney Danny Shadid, representing company owners Raj and Rayesh Narula, complained about an earlier social media post Councilman Tom Robins made about his client's operation.
Robins followed that post with another March 6, where he highlighted the fact that a 68-year-old man living inside the property was found dead March 4 from an apparent drug overdose.
Shadid argued Robins either should recuse himself from considering the issue or be barred by fellow council members from doing so, claiming he already had decided to declare a nuisance before any facts were heard.
"By definition, Councilman Robins has prejudged this matter ... placed himself in the middle of the controversy," Shadid said. "I do not take this lightly."
Robins openly laughed at Shadid's request, later noting issues he brought up in the post were pulled from Edmond public records.
Robins voted with other council members to declare the property a public nuisance.
Shadid also asked council members to refrain from judging the Narulas for any problems with the property before early 2023, when they reached an agreement with city officials to rezone the property to make it a combination hotel/apartment complex.
"(Then-City Attorney) Steve Murdock made a deal with us so that a lot of money could be paid back to the city of Edmond," Shadid said. "Ever since, Edmond has done everything it can to prevent this property from getting back on track."
He told council members the Narulas, who attended the Feb. 26 council meeting but did not speak, since had secured $2.4 million enabling them to refinance their purchase of the complex.
He said the Narulas also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars making improvements to address ongoing identified issues with the building involving its elevator, its sprinkler system, its hot water tanks, its furnishings and other safety and security issues.
"(Considering) a history that goes back to 2014 is not valid," Shadid said.
Finally, he told council members the Narulas were not provided sufficient notice to prepare for the council's Feb. 26 meeting.
Property close to UCO and Northern Hills Elementary
The 77,000-square-foot property on Ayers' south side just east of Bryant Avenue originally opened in 1984 as Country Club Square. Its name was changed later to Country Club Villa, then changed a second time to the Village Inn Apartments.
After it was acquired by Edmond Medical Complex LLC in 2003, it was renamed Highland Ridge Apartments. At the end of 2019, the owner changed its name to OYO Hotel Edmond — University of Central Oklahoma.
City officials' main concerns in 2018 with the the property were fire-safety and cleanliness concerns that included complaints to the Oklahoma City-County Health Department about raw sewage pouring out of bathtubs into hallways.
A reporter for The Oklahoman who visited the property also observed animal waste and cockroaches inside of some of the building's units.
Edmond city records show 80 building, fire, property maintenance, health and nuisance code violations for the hotel have been logged either by the city or City-County Health Department for the property since 2014.
Just a recent walk-around inspection showed many of its windows were missing screens, that graffiti was visible on part of its exterior and that parts of its property were littered with trash, Edmond's code enforcement supervisor told council members.
Councilman Robins noted Edmond Medical Complex LLC owes more than $30,000 in fines to the city for about 100 past code and safety inspection-related citations it has been issued and tried upon in municipal court.
"(Code enforcement issues are) a perennial problem that's not changing," said Ivan Smith, Edmond's code enforcement supervisor.
The Edmond Fire Department repeatedly logged reoccurring problems found during 20 inspections it conducted on the property between Jan. 30, 2017, and Jan. 29, 2024.
Mike Fitzgerald, Edmond's fire marshal, told council members the property has a history of having generated numerous false fire alarms, repeated deficiencies with its automated fire protection system, plus issues involving blocked entry and exit points that could both make it hard for firefighters to respond and residents to evacuate the property during emergency situations.
Recently, when the fire department responded to a report of smoke inside the building, no property representative was there to help them gain access to the building and they were forced to break in to the property to gain access, he said.
"They are big things for us — life safety issues," Fitzgerald said.
Edmond also sent police to the property 462 times for either emergency responses or community policing sweeps just between Jan. 5, 2023, and Feb. 15, 2024, council members were told.
Just between Dec. 1 and Feb. 15, Police Chief J.D. Younger said officers went to the building 38 times to investigate theft or suspicious activity complaints. Beyond that, Younger said the agency conducted two dozen proactive patrols there.
He confirmed an individual whom Robins claimed recently was arrested on complaints of producing and possessing child pornography while living/working at the complex as a maintenance man has been charged.
But the Narulas' attorney challenged that, saying there was no record currently of anyone who had lived or worked at the complex being charged with those crimes.
"Who is that person?" Shadid asked.
While Younger said the owner has used on-site security at times in the past, "I am not aware of any contracted, currently."
Council deflects attorney's request for more time
Shadid asked the council for patience, explaining his clients are working with Zoe Healing Center to improve the property.
The nonprofit operates Christ-centered centers that offer healing, restoration services to meet the needs of whole families. It desires to see people saved, healed, set-free, equipped, and walking with purpose to be all that God redeemed them to be, its website states.
Were Zoe Healing Center to take over, it would provide around-the-clock security and have a representative there at all times. It also would renovate the property's central kitchen and recreational hall, Shadid pledged.
"They are going to bring in staff. My clients are going to pay for it."
Jo McGuffin, one of Zoe's executive directors, told council members she was a U.S. Army veteran and a nurse who helped establish the nonprofit after working at UCO as its director of health and wellness.
"Nobody wants an unsafe, dangerous place. We propose to make it a Christian center ... a safe, beautiful place to live ... a place where we can take care of the vulnerable," McGuffin said.
"We want to get this fixed," she said.
Edmond Mayor Darrell Davis reiterated that was the council's desire, but said it had to start with addressing the property's life safety and security concerns first.
"For the past year there have been some concerns brought up about the location, where we are having a lot of police and fire calls," he said. "Yes, on a certain day (in early 2023), we said, 'OK, things look good. That sounds good.' What was said then and what's happening now is not happening."
"I don't think that's accurate," Shadid said.
"I think it is," the mayor replied. "There has been violations in the past year. Too many. We need to clean it up, and we need to clean it up as fast as possible."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New Life Village could be closed by Edmond after safety issues
