Red tape stamped with the word “asbestos” now stretches across a unit door at Pembroke Towers, the 12-story Norfolk high-rise where tenant Christine Bonavita says she can no longer get inside her own apartment. When she finally walked through it for the first time since abatement crews began tearing up her floors, she found tarps, ripped-out flooring, and a home she described as distressing and devastating to see.
Bonavita's apartment and a neighboring unit two floors below have become the center of a dispute between tenants and the property's management over years of deferred maintenance at the 168-unit building. According to WAVY.com, the city of Norfolk sent building violations to Pembroke Towers property management citing damaged ceilings, leaks, a broken elevator, and pest infestations, with Bonavita's unit and the one below named specifically in those violations. Bonavita was the one who brought Norfolk code enforcement officers to her unit, 207, according to the same report.
The station also reported that Bonavita viewed the unit alongside fire marshals, who prevented WAVY's 10 On Your Side crew from recording the meeting, while Pembroke Towers management restricted the camera crew from common areas. Contractors who had been working inside her apartment unplugged her router, per the station's reporting, and she now says she doesn't know when she'll be allowed to move back in.
Years of Leaks Preceded the Asbestos Discovery
The asbestos dispute didn't emerge in isolation. Bonavita and her neighbors had been warning city officials and local media for years about recurring water leaks damaging interior ceilings and walls, according to WVEC, which reported on Bonavita's concerns about unresolved leaks and aging infrastructure in September. Bonavita formally addressed the Norfolk City Council about the deferred maintenance at its September 15 meeting, according to official municipal council records, putting city leadership on notice about the building's conditions weeks before abatement tape went up on unit doors. Her neighbors attended those city council meetings with her, and per WAVY's reporting, Bonavita said she believes the city of Norfolk supports her even as she feels Pembroke Towers has failed her. WVEC has also reported that Norfolk code enforcement officers have previously intervened at other high-rise complexes in the city, including declaring the top floors of a senior building unfit for habitation over extended elevator outages — a sign, the station noted, that inspectors have been willing to cite landlords when infrastructure failures threaten resident safety.
Property Tax Records Put Construction in 1962
Pembroke Towers is in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood. It is managed by national firm Asset Living, according to Zillow real estate records, which list the building at 168 units across 12 stories. Property management told WAVY the building was originally constructed in 1965, though WAVY's own reporting cites a 1962 construction date elsewhere in its coverage. Zillow's records indicate the building underwent partial renovations in 2017.
That age matters under state rules. Because Pembroke Towers predates January 1, 1985, the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code requires an official asbestos inspection certificate before municipal permits can be issued for alterations, according to guidance from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Structural repairs involving ceiling or floor work at buildings this old trigger mandatory asbestos protocols under that code.
Management Says Hazard Was Found and Cleared
Pembroke Towers property management told WAVY it identified asbestos-containing material in the flooring adhesive within a designated area of the building and contacted qualified remediation professionals, who the company said remedied the material and passed required clearance procedures. Management told the outlet that city officials inspected the affected unit, confirmed the remediation was handled appropriately and completed to their satisfaction, and provided clearance for the unit. The company said it planned to provide professional remediation and clearance documentation the following Monday.
Gorilla Contracting served as the general contractor on the project, with CM Noble performing the specialized asbestos abatement work, according to statements given to WAVY. Gorilla Contracting said existing flooring remained in place when its team arrived and said the contracted work included containment, engineering controls, controlled remediation, final air sampling, and written clearance, coordinated between Gorilla Contracting, CM Noble, and property management.
Federal guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency, cited in management's statement to WAVY, holds that asbestos-containing materials are unlikely to present a health risk when in good condition and left undisturbed, but that damaged or disturbed materials can release fibers into the air that pose an inhalation risk. Separately, EPA guidance notes that asbestos-containing floor tiles and adhesives generally do not threaten health when intact, but that scraping, sanding, or tearing them during repairs is what releases hazardous airborne fibers — which is why property managers reported finding asbestos in the floor mastic only once leak remediation work began disturbing it.
Bonavita Says She Is Taking Legal Action
Bonavita told WAVY she is taking legal action.
Bonavita told WAVY she plans to stay at Pembroke Towers and said she is advocating for the health and safety of every tenant in the building, not just herself. She said tenants deserve a safe and habitable home. As of WAVY's print deadline, the city of Norfolk had not responded to the outlet's request for comment.
