Senior citizens upset apartment building doesn’t have a space for every unit

CHARLOTTE — “We feel like prisoners in our own home,” Barbara King told Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke. “The rent that I pay, I should be able to come home.”

“When I come home, I want to come home. Go upstairs to my apartment,” Kimberly Flowers said.

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They live in the Gilfield Park Apartments on Beatties Ford Road, which is listed as affordable-senior living.

The company that manages the building, LSA Management, acknowledges it has 80 units, but only 50 parking spaces.

They emailed Action 9, “Unfortunately, the parking demand ... has been higher than initially anticipated.”

They say they’ve operated other senior communities and found many residents don’t usually own cars so 50 spaces seemed like more than enough. After all, it’s 30 more than zoning requires.

LSA Management’s full statement:

Thank you for reaching out regarding parking at Gilfield Park Apartments. We understand that parking availability is an important issue for our residents. We take their concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to provide additional context regarding these concerns. Gilfield Park was developed as an affordable housing community for seniors in an area where the need for affordable senior housing is significant.

“Based on our experience operating other affordable senior communities, we have found that many residents do not own cars, often fewer than 50%.

“We provided 50 spaces for 80 units, exceeding the zoning requirements by 30 spaces. Our goal was to create as many affordable housing opportunities for seniors as possible and increasing the ratio of parking spaces to units would have meant providing fewer affordable homes for seniors in this area.

“Unfortunately, the parking demand at Gilfield Park has been higher than initially anticipated. In response to the increased demand, we worked with The Park Church, which graciously agreed to permit residents to use their adjacent parking lot. This is currently being provided as courtesy to our residents who can access their parking lot through a gate, and we installed stairs to make travel between the two parking areas more convenient and safer for residents. We’re grateful for the church’s ongoing support in helping meet this community need.

Regarding lighting, we conduct regular inspections and maintenance to ensure both parking areas are well lit and meet safety standards. We are currently repairing a few lighting outages and adding additional lights in select areas. We are committed to listening to resident feedback and identifying reasonable ways to improve and enhance parking that supports the affordability of our community and the physical limitations of the site. Our priority is to provide safe, quality, and affordable housing for the seniors who call Gilfield Park home, and we remain committed to continuous improvement.

Action 9 asked a follow-up question and the company replied, “Currently, there are no reasonable opportunities to add enough spaces to address the problem. We are now actively working to support the community to the best of our ability.”

That said, they worked with The Park Church -- next door -- which owns the land the apartment building is on. Now, the church lets renters park in the church’s lot and crews built stairs. But King and Flowers see all that as just a Band-Aid.

“I get out of breath before I can get halfway up,” Kind said.

“It’s an inconvenience for me. Only because I leave at five in the morning. It’s dark. I have to go down the stairs. Sometimes there’s coyotes,” Flowers added. “What about [carrying] groceries?”

As for lighting near the stairs, the landlord says they’re adding lights and fixing others.

Flowers says she works a job and hates giving up her space, so much so, she says she now stays at her sister’s a few days each week. They say dozens of neighbors signed a petition, demanding better parking.

If parking is important to you, you may want to ask about it on the front end. See if you’re guaranteed a space, whether there are any hidden fees associated with parking. See if your lease addresses it.

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