Hurst slaps fine on owner of Dakota Place Apartments; demolition still an option
Residents of the Dakota Place apartment complex can stay in their homes for now, after the Hurst City Council voted to fine the owner $16,500 for repeated health and safety violations, rather than demolish the structures.
And, the owner of the complex, Charles Mercer, could get a rebate of part or all of the $16,500 fine if the repairs are completed by Jan. 14, officials said.
“It is not, I believe, the City Council’s position nor the city’s position to demolish this property. I hope that is clearly understood,” Mayor Pro Tem Larry Kitchens said during a hearing on the proposed demolition Tuesday night. “What we are interested in is having the Dakota Place Apartments provide a place for residents, and to ensure their health and safety.”
The four-building complex has been cited with more than 700 health and safety violations, including substandard electrical systems and leaking roofs, rodents, insects and faulty plumbing. The Hurst Fire Department declared the roofs too unsafe for firefighters.
Residents, many of whom say they can’t afford to move, had been concerned about the possibility of being displaced during the holiday season.
Mercer addressed the council during the meeting. He described a host of problems communicating with city officials since 2016 — problems he said caused delays in making the repairs.
“There is no problem with the roof, (but) I have agreed anyhow to remove the roof,” Mercer said, citing numerous times in which city inspectors and Mercer’s own hired engineer disagreed on how many repairs had to be made.
“The engineer of the city wanted us to remove the old roofing to the deck. He said the decking is good,” Mercer told the council. “(But) when we submitted the plans (to the city), they said, well, the decking is not good. We have to have a metal frame with decking. That was the change.”
Mercer also told council members that city inspectors had demanded that he have a professional mold service treat his property after a few square inches of mold were found. He said the law only requires professional cleaning if there is at least 25 square feet of mold.
He also told the council he has already spent more than $100,000 this year making repairs to Dakota Place, and that he expected to spend at least that same amount completing the work.
City officials could still eventually order demolition of the property at 450 E. Hurst Blvd., just north of the Bell helicopter headquarters, if the repairs aren’t made.
One resident, a woman who said she has lived at Dakota Place for six years, told the council that she believes the landlord is doing what he can.
“In the past few months, there’s been a lot of work done on the complex,” she said. “I have no problems with the roof in my apartment. I don’t know what I would do if I had to move. I don’t have a vehicle.”
Mercer was ordered by the city to replace the roofs in 2016, but no building permit was obtained, and no permit applications were submitted during the past year. The city hired a consultant to evaluate the roofs, and the consultant said the roofs on all four buildings were “near the end of their serviceable lives.”
This report includes information from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram archives.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 2:30 PM.
