A pair of Fairburn & Gordon I and II Apartments tenants finally got the chance to confront the owners of their notoriously dilapidated southwest Atlanta complex face-to-face Thursday morning.
Brothers Behzad “Ben” Beroukhai and Abraham “Abe” Beroukhai — co-owners of Fairburn & Gordon’s parent company, A&B Apartments LLC — met privately with two of their tenants after the latest Atlanta Municipal Court housing code and nuisance violation hearing about the property.
“It felt good to be able to tell them how we felt and what we were going through,” said Crystal Brown, who along with fellow Fairburn & Gordon tenant Emma Williams met with their landlords in a courthouse conference room. “I wanted them to know what we’re livin’ in.”
Brown and Williams were in the courtroom to hear the latest news about the ongoing case against Fairburn & Gordon’s owners. Atlanta Deputy Solicitor Erika Smith said the landlords have made “significant progress” on the long list of repairs they’re required to make in accordance with a consent agreement they signed during the spring.
The owners’ attorney told Municipal Judge Christopher T. Portis on Thursday that his clients have spent about $500,000 fixing what’s broken at Fairburn & Gordon.
Smith said the city doesn’t intend to pursue demolition of the property at this time, but that could change if the owners fail to complete remaining repairs ahead of their next status hearing in about a month. Some Fairburn & Gordon tenants had called for its demolition after a June hearing.
“They have to bring all that stuff into compliance,” Smith told Capital B Atlanta. “If they don’t, they’re in contempt.”
Smith said demolishing Fairburn & Gordon would cost Atlanta taxpayers an estimated $3 million, money city officials probably want to avoid spending.
“I doubt we will tear it down because it’s going to cost so much,” she said.
Ben Beroukhai spoke with Capital B Atlanta after the meeting against the advice of his attorney, David Dolinsky. He said that he and his brother intend to keep Fairburn & Gordon running and that they “try to [do] the best for the tenants.”
“We’re doing our best and have done a lot of work so far,” Beroukhai said. “We just keep spending money and spending time and [getting] better management, doing everything and just the best for everybody that this property includes.”
The city has issued hundreds of housing code citations against the Fairburn & Gordon complex, where residents have spent years complaining about extremely hazardous conditions, including natural gas and carbon monoxide leaks, rats, roaches, suffocating mold, pipes that leak raw sewage, rotting walls, collapsing ceilings, and broken air conditioners.
The property failed a Nov. 29 inspection by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that revealed 155 “deficiencies”, including 31 infractions determined to be “life-threatening.”
Brown said the news that the complex probably won’t be torn down will be disappointing for some market-rate, low-income tenants at Fairburn & Gordon who can’t afford to move on their own and were looking forward to getting financial help from the city to do so if the property were condemned. The complex’s market-rate tenants aren’t eligible to receive federal aid to help them move.
Relocation counselors hired by HUD hosted their latest meeting with Fairburn & Gordon’s Section 8 tenants earlier this week.
HUD announced earlier this year that it would help federal housing aid recipients at the complex find safer housing. The agency previously confirmed that it is canceling its contract with the complex’s owners after Fairburn & Gordon received a failing inspection score last November.
Brown, one of the tenants, was heard shouting at the Beroukhai brothers and their attorney during their roughly 30-minute, closed-door meeting. The 43-year-old mother of three says she spent years living in a mold-infested apartment that she could not afford to escape before she said city officials finally convinced the property’s management team to move her into a better unit at the same property last year.
Brown said neither of the Beroukhai brothers spoke Thursday during their dialogue with she and Williams — their attorney did all the talking for them. She admitted losing her temper when it appeared one of the brothers fell asleep during the meeting.
“When I seen him going to sleep, I knew he didn’t care, so that’s what made me get loud,” Brown said.
After the hearing, Ben Beroukhai said Brown didn’t ask any questions for him to answer, so he and his brother just listened during their meeting. He said he’d be willing to meet with the other Fairburn & Gordon tenants as well.
Ben Beroukhai owns multiple properties in Atlanta that are involved in current or previous city housing court cases, according to Smith, who said Thursday was the first time either of the Beroukhai brothers showed up for an Atlanta court hearing.
“I’ve been prosecuting them for 12-13 years. This is the first time I’ve ever seen them,” Smith said.
