Kent Complex Under Renovation

The Villages at Franklin Crossing is an apartment complex in Kent, Ohio with 340 units for  low-income residents who qualify for affordable housing with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The community failed its most recent physical inspection in October of 2015, according to HUD’s publicly available information, scoring just 35 points out of 100. However, the complex received $33.76 million for redevelopment in 2017. The renovation that went along with that funding is still underway.

            Physical inspections for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are extensive. The inspections take account of a long list of conditions, including food preparation, garbage disposal, space, security, temperature, lighting, electricity, building structure and materials, air quality, the surrounding neighborhood and the presence of smoke detectors. Each unit is required, at a minimum, to have a living room, kitchen area, and a bathroom. There are regulations concerning the number of outlets each room is required to have, and the presence of locks on the windows.

            Last year, the Community Development Committee of Kent approved a new median on the property, with an agreement that the owner would be responsible for maintaining the landscape.

            Shamika Ransom, who works at the Villages at Franklin Crossing, said that both the interior and exterior are being remodeled. The complex was built in 1972, and badly needed renovation. Ransom also said that drugs and crime have been issues for the property in the past, but credited the Kent Police Department with improvement in those areas.

            Kent Police Administrative Lieutenant Michael Lewis said that the department was “glad to help”. Lewis was familiar with the issues on the property, and explained that management had requested additional police presence in the area to help lower the crime rate. He said that over the past few years, management at the Villages at Franklin Crossing has done a lot for the community in the complex. Kent police officers spend more time walking and driving through the area, especially during construction.

            The apartments are scheduled to have new flooring and appliances, as well as improvements to the bathrooms and kitchens. Ransom said that the focus of management is on filling empty units.

            The Cleveland Field Office for the Department of Housing and Urban Development was unable to respond by press time.