Apartment owners, Brooklyn Center reach settlement

The city has long had a contentious relationship with Center Pointe, which has had a slew of violations and police calls.

By LORA PABST, Star Tribune

Last update: February 6, 2008 - 12:57 AM

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Timeline of recent interaction between city of Brooklyn Center and owners of Center Pointe:
May 21, June 12 and Aug. 20 -- The city files misdemeanor criminal housing charges against Hyder Jaweed and Asgher Ali.
Aug. 14 -- City notifies owners it is considering revoking Center Pointe's rental license.
Sept. 12 -- Jaweed and Ali file a civil lawsuit against the city alleging that they are being unfairly targeted.
Oct. 1 -- The City Council holds a hearing on whether to revoke Center Pointe's rental license.
Dec. 14 -- City Council revokes the rental license but stays the revocation until Jan. 14. The revocation is later postponed again.
Jan. 24 -- The city agrees to a settlement with Jaweed and Ali.

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Locked doors, clean hallways, and private security guards are just some of the changes that should be taking place in the near future at the Center Pointe apartment complex in Brooklyn Center.

City officials have reached a settlement with Hyder Jaweed and Asgher Ali, the brothers who own Center Pointe through a limited-liability company. The deal resolves criminal charges against the owners, a pending rental license revocation and a lawsuit against the city.

Center Pointe's contentious relationship with the city has revolved around hundreds of city housing and safety violations recorded over the past few years and high numbers of police calls. The owners insisted in the suit that the city was targeting them "because of the Jaweeds' national origin and as retaliation for [the Jaweeds] aiding Black, African American and other minority tenants."

Instead of spending taxpayer money on a suit, the city decided to settle with the owners, which they hope will result in apartments that meet all city codes.

"It's kind of sad that the city has to go to this much effort to compel compliance with our ordinances, but our overall goal is to provide safe housing," said Mayor Tim Willson.

The attorney for the brothers could not be reached.

Many provisions in the agreement simply require compliance with city housing ordinances -- secured exterior doors and windows, working fire alarms, and a list of all occupants. But the city is taking additional steps to make sure the complex stays adequately maintained.

Weekly inspection records must be turned into the Police Department, a log of tenant criminal behavior must be kept, the owners must keep a $10,000 savings account for maintenance, and the city will be able to do unscheduled inspections if tenants request them. The rental license revocation could be reinstated if the agreement, which is in place until Jan. 15, 2010, is broken.

"If they do breach the settlement, we feel we have a much stronger case going back into the court system," Willson said.

While both sides said they think the settlement will resolve many of the longstanding problems at the apartments, Willson said the Police Department is still projecting about 800 police calls to the complex this year, and noted many violations that need to be corrected in a short time. As part of the deal, the city will build a 6-foot black steel picket fence on the property by June 1 that the Center Pointe owners will pay for through assessments.

Eric Hauge, an organizer for the nonprofit tenant advocacy organization HOME Line, has worked with several Center Pointe residents. He said the biggest concern for many tenants, especially for women and families, is security.

"A number of the female tenants were scared to go out in the common space because there would be people passed out or men who didn't live there just wandering around," Hauge said.

The tenants are reserving judgment on the deal until they see progress, he said.

"It overall looks good on paper, but with the tenants we've been working with, they don't really believe it," he said.

Lora Pabst • 612-673-4628

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