Neighbors fed up with Buckhead apartment construction project

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Construction is causing safety fears for people living at the Camden Phipps Apartment complex in Buckhead.

Those residents are stepping up to say enough is enough.

“They start around 6 a.m. every day,” Cydney Hill said.

Cindy Hill lives at the apartment complex. She tells Atlanta News First the noise isn’t the only issue they’re having.

“You can come in here and see they boarded the windows with plywood which was never communicated to residents,” Hill explained.

Ashley Peterson said the apartment manager, Jessi Person, painted a very different picture of what the construction project would look like, than the one she is now seeing outside her window.

In an email sent to residents, the manager described the renovation as a three to five-month exterior construction project which will include exterior brick, windows, doors, and new roofing.

“Most of these contracts are going to provide the landlord some right to make improvements or modifications including potential constructions,” Atlanta attorney Tom Church said.

Under Georgia law, the apartment landlord has a right to renovate but they still have to make sure the noise level is appropriate, and ensure it’s a safe living environment.

“If this building were to burn down there are no windows to jump out of and there’s only one way to get out. Recently I found out this past week that they were going to be putting this temporary patrician barrier and move all of my furniture four feet off all exterior walls, so they could put up a temporary wall to protect myself and all of my stuff from the elements,” Peterson said.

Peterson said she’s now losing living space inside her apartment.

The Camden Phipps apartment complex responded to our request for comment with the following statement.

“The safety and happiness of our residents are always our priority. We are in the beginning stages of making significant exterior upgrades and repairs to the community, which will benefit all residents and enhance their overall experience. As with any project involving exterior construction, such as weather-proofing and windows, there will be some disruption during the day for residents. We are confident we can keep this to a minimum. While we will be completing construction on the façade of the building as well as replacing windows, the intent of the dust barrier is to guard against the potential dust from the construction on the outside of the building. We have already offered residents who work from home alternative options during the work day and are happy to work with any resident to make their experience during the project as pleasant as possible under the circumstances.” Camden Property Trust

“It’s just really disheartening,” Peterson said.

“I’m moving out,” added Cydney Hill

By law, if you sign a lease for 2100 dollars for a certain amount of space your landlord can’t take space away from you and attorneys say all these issues are grounds for a class action lawsuit.

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