Once a crime hot spot, this Pierce County apartment complex is turning things around
For years a Fife apartment complex descended into chaos and crime when on-site management left tenants without support. Now, city officials say its new owner has seen great progress turning the complex around.
In June The News Tribune dug into Sherwood Park’s rap sheet and the lengthy steps the city and owners took to clean up the property at 2360 62nd Ave. E. On Monday The News Tribune took a tour of the newly renamed Ramallah Apartments to see what progress had been made since then.
The roar of pressure washers and leaf blowers permeated the complex Monday as new owner Ahmad Rabi and project manager Issam Musafer gave a tour of several renovated units.
Although some of the 18 two-story apartment buildings still have visible fire damage and boarded up windows, Rabi and Musafer said they are proud of the work that’s been done to fix up the complex since Rabi bought 13 buildings in March. Thus far, Rabi said, he’s spent $1.5 million renovating the units, and crews have cleared more than 30 tons of garbage and debris.
Finished units shown to The News Tribune were clean with brand-new appliances and a working fireplace. Musafer listed renovations underway or completed: landscaping, pressure washing, interior and exterior remodeling, repainting the buildings, replacing siding, plumbing and electrical work, new flooring and new car ports.
“I’m one of the tenants right now. If it’s not safe, I wouldn’t be risking my life,” Musafer said. “We’re adding value to the place, we’re adding value to the whole city. This is the work we want to be credited for.”
The site isn’t generating calls for police service like it once did, Fife city manager Derek Matheson told The News Tribune on Thursday via email.
“The new owner is making good progress toward renovating the complex. Specifically, the city has issued remodel permits for 12 of the buildings (48 units), though none of those permits has concluded with a new certificate of occupancy just yet,” Matheson said. “The new owner may still be working though some landlord-tenant issues, as well.”
In the last three months there were 54 calls made to police from 2360 62nd Ave. E, according to Fife Police Department records. That included three calls for shots fired, 11 calls for suspicious or unwanted people and eight calls for domestic violence.
After inheriting tenants who owed thousands, or tens of thousands, in back rent, Rabi said all the former tenants have since left or were served eviction notices largely without incident.
As of Friday there were 31 units available to rent with 20 more units expected to come online by the end of the year, Rabi said. Monthly rent for one-bedroom units start at $1,400 and rent for two-bedroom apartments start at $1,789, he said. There is a deal going where tenants who sign a lease by the end of September get one month free, Rabi said. He welcomes prospective tenants to take a tour and see the complex for themselves.
