City Of Tuscaloosa Seeks To Have Forrester Gardens Apartments Declared A Public Nuisance

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The City of Tuscaloosa on Wednesday filed a lawsuit seeking to have Forrester Gardens Apartments declared a public nuisance, citing unsafe living conditions and a persist pattern of violent crime at the complex.

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The lawsuit was filed in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court and names PNC ARHPF Forrester Gardens, LLC and other entities as defendants, along with The Lynd Company and Lynd Management Group, which oversee the property's management.

The lawsuit comes after city inspectors and health officials visited Forrester Gardens on Feb. 18 upon receiving a complaint about sewage leaking into an unoccupied apartment.

Officials reportedly a long list of issues, including sewage leaks flowing through walls, toilets, and bathtubs; Black mold covering apartment walls and ceilings; Standing water and active leaks in multiple units; Unsecured, vacant apartments with evidence of squatting, including broken windows and a small fire inside one unit; and a partially collapsed ceiling in one unit, with grass growing inside.

Tuscaloosa city officials deemed 76 apartments unfit for human occupancy, including 26 that were occupied at the time.

"The conditions at Forrester Gardens is not just severe, it is completely unacceptable," District 6 Councilor John Faile said. "No one in our community should have to live in such unsafe conditions, and the City cannot and will not stand by while residents endure this kind of neglect. Our City departments, in coordination with local law enforcement and the Health Department, have taken decisive action to protect those affected."

What's more, Forrester Gardens has been cited for multiple instances of violent crime, with officials saying that since December 2022 — when the defendants acquired the property —the Tuscaloosa Police Department has responded to 1,196 incidents at the complex.

The city also said the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit has investigated multiple cases at Forrester Gardens, including a 2024 homicide, two shootings into occupied residences and three shootings into unoccupied dwellings.

In the lawsuit, city officials explained that the property's management was unresponsive during the Feb. 18 inspection, with the on-site assistant manager reportedly leaving midday and not returning, while the property's manager was allegedly out of town at a conference.

The city says it worked with local nonprofit agencies to find emergency housing for displaced residents after management reportedly failed to communicate available alternative housing options.

The lawsuit also asks the court to order the defendants to address the conditions and ensure residents' safety, which could possibly require significant repairs, increased security measures or even closure of the complex.

“While Forrester Gardens as a whole has not been condemned, 26 units have been deemed uninhabitable in the past 24 hours," Faile said. "It is the property owners’ responsibility to relocate every affected tenant and ensure that necessary repairs are completed so these units can be safely reoccupied. The City will continue to take all necessary legal steps to hold them accountable and ensure that every resident has access to safe, dignified housing."

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