After 117 police calls for drugs, violence, and more, city forces Hilltop apartment owner to clean up act
Columbus City Attorney announced on July 21 via press release that the Property Action Team has filed a lawsuit against the owner of multiple West Side properties after years of criminal activity, dangerous code violations, and unpaid property taxes.
Columbus is suing Xiao Yu Huang, owner of the Burgess Apartments at 21-39 South Burgess Avenue and an adjacent commercial building at 2603-2607 West Broad Street.
“These properties have generated hundreds of calls for service while criminal activity and dangerous conditions continued to pile up,” said Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. “Enough is enough. It’s time for this owner to address these longstanding problems and be held accountable.”
Court documents show the Columbus Division of Police has responded to nearly 200 calls regarding the properties since October 2023. Calls included burglaries, shootings, overdoses, and numerous other reports of suspicious activity.
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In addition to criminal activity, City inspectors found numerous property maintenance and code violations at the apartments, despite being cited for many violations last year. Code enforcement has also been forced to secure vacant units at least eight times in the past year due to emergency conditions.
The lawsuit notes the owner’s failure to pay property taxes on all 16 apartment parcels and the adjacent commercial property for more than a year, which, under Columbus City Code, constitutes a public nuisance.
In addition to asking the Environmental Court to declare the properties public nuisances, the City is requesting the court to order the owner to correct all code violations, implement measures to prevent future criminal activity, and pay all unpaid property taxes.
The City is also seeking authority to close the properties and recover the costs of any abatement efforts.
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