116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cedar Rapids orders two more Westhill Village Apartments buildings to vacate
Tenants of all five buildings now must leave because of structural issues
CEDAR RAPIDS — All residents of Westhill Village Apartments in northwest Cedar Rapids now have been ordered to leave their homes to allow for repairs that an engineer has warned are needed to address structural issues that pose a potential threat to their safety.
The city has ordered tenants of two more of the five buildings in the complex on Seminole Avenue NW — the 1615 and 1625 buildings — to vacate the properties by Feb. 29. This comes after Waterloo-based EPM Iowa, the private property management company, informed tenants they must leave the other three properties after an engineer flagged structural issues in the buildings, including cracks in the drywall and floor unevenness that may lead to a “potential structural failure.”
EPM Iowa has not responded to a request for comment.
Residents of the first three buildings at 1610, 1620 and 1630 Seminole Ave. NW have until the end of Wednesday to leave. Each of the five buildings has eight units.
A structural engineer identified issues including:
- Cracks in the drywall of the stairwells, suggesting “there was significant lateral movement in the structure,” most likely related to 2020 derecho damage.
- Vertical cracks in the drywall above sliding doors, with about 30 percent of the apartments showing “stress cracks” on the drywall above the doors and floor joists punching through the ceiling drywall.
- ”Floor unevenness,“ revealing a “serious issue that can lead to a potential structural failure” as the interior wall is placed directly on the floor decking without structural support below it.
- A sagging ceiling in one third-floor apartment.
- A termite issue in the 1620 building.
Under city code, the owner or the owner’s authorized agent is responsible for keeping properties with notices of violation and code provisions in compliance.
Issues ‘jeopardize its structural integrity’
In a report dated Jan. 12 from structural engineer Natalya V. Hunt with Cedar Rapids-based Apex Structural, Hunt said an inspection of the 1615 and 1625 buildings — completed with the apartment complex maintenance manager and a city official — found “the conditions of both buildings are like the other buildings” in the complex. The 1625 property did not have uneven floors, Hunt wrote, but “there are other issues present throughout the building that jeopardize its structural integrity.”
This correspondence was shared with the Cedar Rapids Building Services Department Jan. 25, at which point staff notified the property owner that the 1615 and 1625 buildings must be evacuated. Hunt recommended residents leave within 30 to 60 days.
The letter from Building Services staff said the owner has been working with the structural engineer for a recommended repair plan including the floor joists, floor unevenness, sagging ceilings, extensive cracking of ceilings and walls and termite damage. The letter was signed by Building Services Director Kevin Ciabatti and Code Enforcement Manager Greg Buelow.
According to the Building Services Department, the department “provided emergency resource guides for the property owner to provide to the tenants of the 1615 and 1625 buildings, as done for the previous buildings,” including social service agency contacts, emergency housing contacts and legal aid resources.
City staff have encouraged the owner and the private property management company to help tenants where possible. Residents seeking assistance may contact Waypoint’s Housing Services team at (319) 366-7999.
Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com
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