Poor living conditions at a condominium development in Benton Harbor are prompting Mayor Marcus Muhammad to suggest intervention by the city commission. At a Monday meeting, Muhammad said the commission should schedule a retreat to discuss the problems with New Harbor Condominiums on Riverview Drive. Muhammad has called for improvements to be made at the 90 unit complex.
“I think that there certainly needs to be some type of battle cry and rally to make sure that those residents receive justice,” Muhammad said. “One tenant said he’d been paying $475 a month and has never been late and has never missed, and the conditions – it’s inhumane.”
Muhammad said there is no gas in one of the development’s two buildings, meaning no hot water, and there are units with no water at all. Half of the complex was recently foreclosed by the Berrien County Treasurer’s office. Muhammad read a letter Monday from Treasurer Bret Witkowski promising the county won’t just auction off the condos to a slumlord looking to make a quick buck or to get a tax write-off. He also said he has explored the possibility of getting federal funds to help the affected residents.
