Anoka Dominium Renters: Property In ‘Disarray’

The renters of Woodland Park Apartments, a Dominium property, approached the Anoka City Council on April 14 to inform the council about issues facing the building.

Woodland Park resident Shawna Hoffman approached the podium during the night’s public forum.

“I’d like to address some serious concerns in regards to our great community,” Hoffman said. “I have lived (in Woodland Park) for two years, and what I thought was going to be a new beginning quickly turned into a nightmare.”

Hoffman described that the “exterior is in disarray” when it comes to Woodland Park. She listed rusted siding, mold, garbage, gutters and siding falling or missing, excessive dog droppings on lawns, unsafe balconies, broken down vehicles taking up parking spaces, dented and missing garage doors, dogs running off leash and overflowing garbage receptacles.

“I could go on,” Hoffman said, before moving to issues with the interior.

She said that dog droppings are a common problem in the building as well, along with stained carpets, loose railings, no ventilation in the hallways, falling exit signs “hanging on for dear life,” fire extinguishers expired or missing, inoperable emergency lights, trash in the hallways, holes in the walls and inoperable security cameras.

Hoffman also described problems between residents, with domestic disputes being “constant,” unsupervised children “ding-dong-ditching,” damaged property and community rooms, and reportedly the smell of drugs in the apartment complex.

“I’m here with some of the residents tonight, and we’ve had enough,” Hoffman said. “Management does not concern themselves with our requests, concerns or police presence. As you’re all aware, they have a COPPS unit that is constantly out there, yet nothing gets resolved.”

Anoka’s Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving unit is assigned specifically to the duties of crime-free multi-housing. Hoffman shared that even with the frequent police presence in the buildings, residents have been unable to get resolution due to lack of documentation and communication.

“(Managers) do not document all that needs to be addressed in the property and are dismissive with residents that truly care,” Hoffman said. “When a resident calls the police, the police tell us their hands are tied and to present these matters to management. Management informs us that they cannot provide closure to these incidents without police reports. It is a tug-of-war of communication and hope for resolution.”

“I’m a single mom, and I barely make a livable wage,” Hoffman said. “And in September I was diagnosed with (cancer). I just want to make sure my hard-earned money is going to a good community, and I don’t think that it is.”

Council Member Brian Wesp, who is chairman of the Anoka-Champlin Fire Board, said he would find the last time the fire marshal visited and get the Fire Department out to check on fire extinguishers. Council Member Jeff Weaver advocated for a city inspector to make it out to the building.

“If citizens are coming up to the City Council and saying, ‘Hey, here’s the issue,’ let’s get on top of this,” Wesp said.

Tenant claims retaliation

Hoffman also brought up an issue of retaliation, in which she felt targeted for cleaning up an excessive amount of dog droppings on her front lawn and moving them to the front of the office building on April 10.

Hoffman said that there were three other tenants who did the same, but she was the only one to receive a lease violation and hand-delivered rent release because of it. Hoffman was also charged with disorderly conduct by the Anoka Police Department as a result.

“I can tell you I provided my community with a service,” Hoffman said. “I got (charged with) disorderly conduct for that, because, I mean, it’s been months. We’ve sent emails for months. And it’s getting nice, and it’s getting hot and when the sun hits, it smells.”

The lease release states that Hoffman and her 7-year-old son will need to move out of the building by April 30.

City Attorney Scott Baumgartner said he would work with Anoka Police Chief Eric Peterson to review the police reports concerning the incident.

ABC Newspapers visited Woodland Park apartments, and witnessed video evidence of the amount of dog droppings, as well as heard from Hoffman about how she felt targeted by the release.

“In two years of living here, that was the first knock on my door,” Hoffman said. “It was our manager ..., the regional manager (Renee Retterath) and (COPPS. Officer) Shayle Dominguez. I had never seen our regional manager in the building before. I thought, ‘It took me doing that to get you here?’”

Hoffman said that she had been working since Christmas 2022 to get the dog dropping issue resolved, with no response from management. Hoffman stated there have been seven managers and four temporary managers in her two years living at Woodland Park.

Of the four tenants responsible for collecting the dog droppings, Hoffman was the only one to receive a rent release. Because it was hand delivered by a police officer and two levels of management, she felt threatened into signing it.

“A resident in a different building got the same sheet of paper (for a different event), but did not sign it,” Hoffman said. “The only reason I signed it was because there was an officer there. Am I going to get arrested if I don’t sign it? I’ve never been in that situation before.”

Hoffman said it was the first time she had ever seen the regional manager. Dominium told ABC Newspapers that regional managers oversee “on average 7 to 8 properties and “varies because of overall property size and relative proximity.” They did not answer to which properties Retterath manages, or how long she spends at each property. Hoffman has only seen Retterath once more since.

“If this was so serious enough to get you to my door, as well as have a police officer present, why are you not treating everyone the same?” Hoffman asked.

ABC Newspapers contacted Dominium regional manager Renee Retterath about the building and Hoffman’s situation directly and left a voicemail, but received a response from Tunheim Public Relations Senior Account Supervisor Sandi Scott via email. Scott requested on behalf of Retterath a list of emailed questions, and Retterath, through Scott, denied ABC Newspapers a phone call. ABC Newspapers emailed questions to Scott and did not receive a response from Retterath, but from Dominium Executive Vice President Paula Prahl instead.

“After talking with the regional manager, Dominium decided that Paula Prahl should answer your questions,” Scott said.

Prahl did not comment specifically on Hoffman’s situation, but gave ABC Newspapers Dominium’s discrimination policy.

“Discrimination of any kind including race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, etc. is illegal and not tolerated at Woodland Park or any Dominium property or office,” Prahl said.

Prahl stated that “two residents were asked if they wanted to be released from their lease” in relation to the incident.

Dominium received a city code violation from Anoka on April 10, stating that by April 24, Woodland Park must “have animal feces removed from both the interior and exterior of (the) building.”

“Cleaning of dog droppings is the responsibility of the pet owners,” Prahl said. “Failure to do so could and often does result in a fine. Minnesota’s difficult winter, with consistent snow, made citations related to this policy difficult. The rapid thaw also uncovered significant evidence of policy non-compliance. Management of the property had the dog droppings cleaned shortly after the thaw.”

Hoffman said it is difficult for police and fire to enter the building for inspections and calls because there is no entry key in a lockbox outside the building, which is common for emergency responders at apartment buildings. Chief Peterson said he would check on the key situation.

“I know that our COPPS officers have for, at least the past year if not more, been dealing with this management company,” Peterson said at the April 14 Anoka City Council meeting. “Frequently with rental housing, if we don’t get a cooperating manager, we start stepping up our levels. So far every manager in the building has cooperated to a level that we’re satisfied with. But I think this management taking over recently … is a perfect example of what we encourage our managers not to do.”

SOURCE: Hometown Source