DALLAS — For months, debris from a torn-down building at the Meadows at Ferguson apartments has been sitting in the middle of the complex. It is just one of the many issues WFAA has been covering at the East Dallas apartment complex.
From holes in units to possum problems to crime, residents have protested marching those issues to the main office.
In July, the City of Dallas filed a petition against the property owners, Key City Capital. Not much has changed until now.
Monday, the city canceled a temporary injunction hearing against Key City Capital. Instead, the owners and the city entered what is called a Rule 11 agreement. That means the owners must meet certain requirements in exchange for canceling that court hearing and not resetting another hearing for at least 30 days.
“I am glad they have deadlines to meet obligations that should be standard. I’m glad someone is following it and monitoring it," said Theophilus Field, a resident’s caregiver.
Here are some of those requirements:
The owners must remove the rubble from the torn-down building by a certain date. They also have to get rid of all graffiti on the property and broken glass.
Key City must provide at least two licensed security guards on the property for a minimum of 336 hours per month and give the city all incident reports within 48 hours. They have to fix the entrance gate as well.
To address repairs, Key City is required to provide a list of repairs already made within 10 days from the canceled hearing and provide a list of anticipated repairs over the next two or three months.
The City’s petition cited several fire code violations that the owners now have to address. They must provide a proper fire watch report to Dallas Fire-Rescue and submit plans for the fire suppression system.
To help cut down on crime, the complex is required to host crime prevention meetings for residents that include snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.
Residents were pleased to hear the response from the city following months of mounting problems. They have been calling for change and hope the Rule 11 agreement will bring action.
“Ethically, if you’re raised correctly and you’re used to a certain standard of living, you don’t have to be asked or told what to do. It’s automatic,” Field said.
Key City Capital also agreed to monthly site visits. They’ve even already placed a portable security camera tower from law enforcement in the front of the complex.
WFAA contacted Key City about the outcome of the hearing and agreement. They have no comment at this time.
The letter from the City of Dallas listing the changes can be read below.