College Park officials say all residents have now been relocated from the condemned Chelsea Gardens Apartments.
The city condemned the apartment complex in April. Residents say the apartment units are plagued by excessive mold, water shutoffs, rodent infestations, and collapsing infrastructure.
According to the city, most of the displaced tenants were moved with assistance from $86,000 in relocation funds distributed through Sage Hands International.
But during public comment at Monday’s city council meeting, several individuals who identified themselves as former tenants said they had not received any support — or even communication from the nonprofit. They called for greater compassion for their circumstances and leadership.
Alicia Taylor said she lives on Supplemental Security Income and that she borrowed $2,000 from a family member to move.
Taylor told council members that she is legally blind and epileptic.
“It’s hard for me,” she said. “I’m scared right now because I feel like I’m alone and have been kicked in the butt.”
Other former residents shared similar frustrations.
Jackie McQuery said she received few answers when calling the city for help.
“We’re supposed to turn to people that are supposed to give us information, give us knowledge to protect us, but we were treated like trash,” she said.
One commenter claimed the property went without water for more than three weeks. Another said the living conditions at Chelsea Gardens were a “humanitarian emergency” and that of a “third-world country.”
City spokesperson Bill Crane disputes public suggestions that College Park disconnected utilities to force residents out.
“College Park did not disconnect water and electric utilities as part of reported efforts, by residents and activists, to cause residents to leave,” Crane said in an email.
The city is expected to release a report in the coming weeks detailing how the $86,000 in relocation funds were used.
This week, council members also said the new owner of Chelsea Gardens, Pretas Dedvukaj of Contour Companies, gave the city a $20,000 payment. The city attorney has agreed to oversee the use of those funds, but details on how they’ll be distributed have not been made public.
The apartment complex was purchased by Contour in March. The previous owners, according to the city, were cited for more than 2,000 code enforcement violations between 2024 and 2025. Though they had committed to making repairs, the work was never completed, the statement said.
In May, Jerry Silver, a former code enforcement supervisor for College Park, told SaportaReport that after he issued warnings to the previous owners, he was instructed not to cite the property once it entered foreclosure and a sale was pending.
Conditions became so unsanitary that the former city manager had no choice but to condemn the property, Silver said.
Silver is one of five city staffers fired in May, including former city manager Emmanuel Adediran. Silver told SaportaReport that his own dismissal was unrelated to Chelsea Gardens, though he believes he was terminated for refusing to issue what he says were illegal citations. A statement on behalf of Silver and three of the other dismissed employees was read aloud during Monday’s council meeting and will be covered in an upcoming story.
