City of Rochester condemns units at Creekside Apartments

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The City of Rochester announced Wednesday that it’s condemning part of a southeast Rochester apartment complex following a recent emergency response situation.

According to the city, the Creekside Apartments located at 1455 Marion Rd SE are being condemned due to the unsecured condition of the property, lack of domestic water, and failing fire suppression or alarm system.

The city’s Community Development Department serves as the agency authorized to execute the condemnation.

According to the city, on March 18, the Rochester Fire Department (RFD) responded to a call at one of three apartment buildings at Creekside Apartments, for a report of water rushing in and flooding the apartment. Upon investigation, it was determined the unit had a broken water line and no direct water shut off required to turn off water supply of the entire building.

The city said there were also reports of broken windows and a missing patio door, exposing units to the elements. It was also observed that the fire sprinkler line was broken, and the fire alarm system was damaged and inoperable. Site staff were notified that a fire watch needed to be implemented until the fire alarm system was restored.

City officials said they are working to ensure residents of the apartment have appropriate resources following the condemnation.

“The Olmsted County Housing Stability Team has been instrumental in supporting households through this process. They met with each impacted family and created a plan to temporarily transition them into a hotel and move their belongings into a safe place. The Housing Stability team will continue to work with impacted tenants to assist them in finding new housing,” Olmsted County Housing Director Dave Dunn said in a news release.

Since the incident, an officer with Rochester Police Department has been sitting outside the building, monitoring the building for fires, since it has no alarm system. The officer said people have been moving out since the incident occurred, but there are still around 5 people living in the building right now.

Since March 20, the city of Rochester has reportedly coordinated the condemnation and communicated necessary repairs to property ownership, Phoenix Development. The city said Phoenix Development currently owns one other rental in property in Rochester with a similar history of delayed maintenance.

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