Hundreds of residents remain scattered across the Birmingham suburb two months after The Park at Buckingham apartments off West Valley Avenue were condemned, and the 583-unit complex now faces a scheduled review by the city's Municipal Housing Code Abatement Board this month to assess whether unsafe buildings constitute a public nuisance. A tenant lawsuit filed in August alleges the property's owner and manager knew about black mold, rat infestations and sewage backups for months before code officers posted emergency vacate notices on most of the buildings.
Tenant Joshua Young sued property owner Contour Buckingham AL LLC, its property managers, and court-appointed receiver Farbman Group in Jefferson County Circuit Court, alleging negligence over safety hazards that went unaddressed until the complex was condemned, according to The Cool Down. The suit, filed days after the emergency notices went up, lists black mold, rat infestations and sewage backups among the conditions residents say were ignored. Those complaints echo what Homewood Star has reported at the property for some time: water intrusion, warped floors, leaks, mold and other maintenance issues that eventually prompted Homewood Fire Department officials to find some units unsafe for human occupancy.
City Says Managers Had Weeks of Warning
Court filings cited in local reporting indicate Farbman Group was notified by Homewood officials as early as June 3 that five buildings faced code abatement action — nearly two months before condemnation notices were posted on tenant doors in late July, per the same Cool Down report. Tenants have said they received no individual advance warning before the notices appeared. Homewood code enforcement officers ultimately posted condemnation notices on most of the complex's buildings, giving affected residents 30 days to vacate.
Not every building was deemed uninhabitable. Homewood building inspector Wyatt Pugh, who has worked on issues at the complex throughout his decade-long tenure with the city, said the office, clubhouse and buildings 106-108, 111-113 and 123-125 could still be occupied, according to the Homewood Star. The buildings that were condemned showed more severe problems, including a lack of fire block or fire stopping, balcony and deck structural issues, air quality problems and plumbing leaks.
Scale of Displacement Still in Dispute
City officials initially estimated that about 300 to 400 residents were displaced when the buildings began emptying out in early August. But an attorney representing affected tenants told WVTM 13 in August that the condemnation of over half the complex ultimately impacted closer to 1,000 residents in total. Among those displaced were 125 Homewood City Schools students — 50 elementary, 32 middle and 43 high school students — who were permitted to stay enrolled in the district for the school year under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, according to the City of Homewood.
For tenants like Young, the complex had offered one of the few remaining low-cost options in a pricey suburb. He had been paying $647 a month including utilities before the condemnation, the Cool Down reported. Homewood heavily restricts multifamily development, adding to the challenge of finding nearby replacement housing for displaced families.
Relief Funds Fall Short of Relocation Costs
Homewood City Council established seed funding for displaced residents, authorizing $25,000 in emergency aid, but city officials have publicly acknowledged that average relocation costs — security deposits, first month's rent and moving fees — far exceeded that figure. The council approved the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, known as HICA, to administer the city's contribution alongside other donated funds. More than 100 people attended a resource fair at Trinity United Methodist Church's West Campus, organized by a broader resource team that includes the Church of Homewood, Trinity, Dawson Memorial Baptist, Volunteer Lawyers in Birmingham, United Way, Homewood City Schools and Homewood Community Church.
Private and church donations eventually pushed the total available aid to about $135,000, Fire Chief Brandon Broadhead said, while the City of Homewood statement documents the initial $25,000 allotment. HICA provides first-month rental deposits and moving assistance, generally capping help at up to $1,000 per case, though it may offer more in extraordinary circumstances. The nonprofit has also begun allowing some funds to cover back rent. Homewood's own $25,000 contribution has since been exhausted, and HICA is now relying on contributions from Trinity and other donors, processing assistance requests through cashier's checks.
Developer's Regional Footprint and What Comes Next
The complex was built in the 1970s and purchased by Contour Companies. The company says it completed two phases of major interior and exterior upgrades through the winter of 2022, according to Contour Companies. Contour also acquired The Park at Callington and Carlyle.
Homewood's Municipal Housing Code Abatement Board is scheduled to review the complex at its October meeting and assess whether unsafe buildings constitute a public nuisance, per the Homewood Star. Under city procedures, the Homewood Fire Department first determines whether buildings are unsafe, with building inspections following up after a fire department referral. If the abatement board finds the unsafe buildings constitute a public nuisance, the owner will receive a mandatory 60-day window to make conditions safe before the matter is referred to Homewood City Council, which could then vote to condemn the buildings or authorize demolition, subject to appeals.
