By KATIE V. JONES
On Nov. 21, residents of The Tiers of Laurel Lakes Condominiums learned that the city will order them to vacate their homes – 116 units – if repairs to the complex’s staircases are not completed by Jan. 10, 2025.
Mayor Keith Sydnor made the announcement during a meeting he chaired with city staff, the condominium’s homeowners association and residents.The standing-room-only meeting was held at the Joseph R. Robison Laurel Municipal Center.
In his opening remarks, Syndor informed attendees that, while the city had repeatedly tried to help improve conditions at the complex, the seriousness of the situation left the city no choice but to issue the order.
The mayor presented a timeline indicating that the condominiums have been attempting to deal with faulty staircases since December 2021, when an internal assessment indicated that 58 staircases needed to be repaired or replaced.
Since then, the city has worked with the development’s previous management company, and the homeowners association to improve the situation. In September 2023, the city secured $200,000 in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This grant helped residents pay off their late dues. The city also extended a number of deadlines for repairs. Sydnor noted that no work had been done on the stairs this fall.
“The decision to vacate was not made lightly,” Syndor said. He originally set Dec. 9 as the date to vacate but pushed it back due to the holiday season.
A representative from PMI Village Alliance, the property management company that took over in October, as well as representatives from the condominiums new homeowners association, informed the crowd that they were working to undo past mismanagement of funds and had secured some funding to get some -but not all -repairs completed.
“Ultimately, we need money,” Ramona Williams, who owns PMI and manages the property, said.”Owners have to pay.”
