City of Jacksonville issued the following announcement on Sep 19.
Jacksonville City Council took action at the September 21, 2021 City Council Meeting to postpone any further City action to vacate 67 units of the Town Center Apartments until June 30, 2022. This action is not binding on the Town Center property owners who will have the final say on timeline for evictions.
Mayor Sammy Phillips recently announced that the City had reached an agreement between the City of Jacksonville and the owners of Town Center Apartments that extended an original October deadline for vacating dozens of rental units to December 31, 2021.
After hearing the pleas of residents during the Public Comment portion of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, City Council unanimously voted to extend the City’s deadline to June 30, 2022.
The City is in contact with the Town Center Apartment owners to form an agreement to extend the owners’ deadline for evictions until June 30, 2022. Town Center Apartment owners will have final say for their eviction timeline.
Help for Affected Residents:
To assist those relocating within City limits, the City has established a fund through Onslow Community Outreach. This fund is in place to provide assistance with moving costs, down payments, and utility deposits. Residents of the designated 67 units who are relocating within the City limits may contact Onslow Community Outreach at 910 455-5733 or visit OnslowCo.org to request assistance.
Affected residents relocating outside of City limits may also call Onslow Community Outreach for similar assistance which has been established through the Onslow Strong Disaster Recovery Alliance. Onslow Community Outreach is the contact for this assistance fund.
Some private rental properties in Jacksonville are setting aside units especially for the residents of the 67 units. To apply for one of these rentals, residents can contact Onslow Community Outreach.
Private owners of area rentals who would like to make units available through this effort are encouraged to call Onslow Community Outreach at 910 455-5733.
Background Information and Facts:
- For the past year, City officials and apartment complex owners have worked to address housing codes issues, with the common goal of providing a safe and decent living environment for all residents at Town Center.
- The 694-unit complex was built in the 1950’s and has been a major component in the Jacksonville housing market. Over time, the units have aged with limited repair.
- Due to complaints from many residents, the City began in 2020 to conduct a systematic inspection of the complex leading City officials to determine the presence of major housing code violations, with many units being deemed unsafe for inhabiting.
- Currently, over 430 units are vacant due to City orders.
- The deadline does not apply to an additional approximate 100 rental units at Town Center that may continue to be occupied beyond the extension. While these units have code issues, they constitute the units with the least code issues.
- The City has been made aware that the apartment manager will be notifying all current residents of their status and will continue to work to assist in the relocation effort.
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