A prospective new owner has laid out plans to pour $25 million into renovating London Oaks, the 296-unit apartment complex in Portsmouth that has drawn resident complaints over unsafe conditions, mistakenly sent eviction notices and personal documents found unsecured outside a building. American Community Developers, a Detroit-based company, presented the proposal during a Portsmouth public work session, describing new roofs, kitchens, security upgrades and a list of new amenities, while insisting that rents and the property's Section 8 contract would stay the same.
A Detroit Company's Pitch for a Struggling Property
American Community Developers is described as a potential future owner of London Oaks, and the company has proposed spending roughly $85,000 per unit as part of its rehabilitation plan, according to WAVY.com. Jeffry LoDuca, identified as ACD's lead for the London Oaks rehabilitation, said the work would include new roofs, siding, doors, windows, kitchens, bathrooms and flooring finishes throughout the complex. LoDuca also outlined a list of planned amenities: a splash pad, a barbecue and grilling area, a community gym, a dog park, playground equipment and a sport court.
London Oaks opened in 2012 with 48 one-bedroom, 144 two-bedroom, 74 three-bedroom and 30 four-bedroom units, and it operates under 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing, according to affordablehousinghub.org. The same source reports a HUD inspection score of 29 out of 100 for the property, well below the page's stated passing threshold of 60. LoDuca said that if ACD takes ownership, residents' rent would not change and the property's Section 8 contract would remain in place; he added that some residents may be temporarily relocated to nearby hotels during the rehabilitation work.
Security Plans and a Push on Evictions
ACD also plans to hire Independent Management Services to handle property management and to install one gated access point with guards, new security cameras and improved lighting, the station's report notes. The company said it intends to cooperate with Portsmouth police to enforce evictions. Jim Harrigan, identified as Independent Management Services' executive vice president, said the firm aggressively pursues evictions and will work with police and the police chief, adding that his company enforces lease terms and does not avoid evictions.
Harrigan said police would have access to London Oaks' camera systems 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that property management would assist police as much as possible. He also said management could help place officers in a unit if needed to address gang-related activity. John Williamson, identified as ACD's senior vice president, said the company intends to own London Oaks for the long term and is confident it can address the property's physical needs, strengthen security, reduce crime and improve residents' living standards.
Mayor Glover Weighs In on Living Conditions
Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover said he was displeased with the unsafe living conditions residents have described at the complex, per the same account. ACD's own properties page states the company owns 113 residential properties across 12 states, while a 2019 report from Housing Finance described the company as having 94 developments and more than 12,000 units — a discrepancy that has not been resolved. Housing Finance also reported that ACD, founded in 1980, has said it is expanding beyond affordable housing into market-rate housing and mixed-use development, with properties spanning 11 states from Pennsylvania to California and Florida.
A Property With a Rocky Recent Past
The proposal comes months after separate incidents raised questions about how London Oaks has been managed. Personal documents — including Social Security numbers and copies of birth certificates — were found unsecured outside the complex, according to wtkr.com. TreeTop Development, which took over management of the property in February, said a contractor had been hired to clear furniture from a former security office and moved the files outside in the process. The filing cabinet involved was later removed, but it remains unclear whether all the documents were properly disposed of, the outlet reported.
Separately, PK Management said a batch of eviction notices meant only for households with large rent balances was mistakenly sent property-wide, an error the company acknowledged to WAVY.com in an earlier report. Residents told the station at the time that they were dealing with a lack of property managers and maintenance, along with mold and rodents. The dossier does not clarify whether TreeTop's and PK Management's roles reflect the same period or separate, successive arrangements at the property.
Under Virginia's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, landlords are required to offer prospective tenants a written rental agreement spelling out the terms of the landlord-tenant relationship, along with a statement of tenant rights and responsibilities developed by the Department of Housing and Community Development, according to Virginia Law. No sale of London Oaks has been confirmed, and no timeline for a closing or the start of rehabilitation work has been disclosed.
