While I cannot say from personal experience, it is my understanding that Copper Tree was pretty subpar in its sanitation practices, to say the very least. We met a family in Meadowood Park that lived there, and they spoke of a litany of problems: sewage backing up into their unit; mold exposure, making their kids sick; generally awful.
Now, I've lived in many (too many) rentals over the years. Some were good. Some were not. I also understand the role of the tenant in keeping an apartment sanitary, but that responsibility rests equally with the landlord. After all, the owner of the apartment has a larger financial stake in the value of the real estate than the tenants as well as a longer term ownership commitment.
Nevertheless, as a Speedway resident, homeowner, and citizen, it is manifestly in my interest to have The Legends be a better, rather than worse, rental option than Copper Tree has historically been.
I understand that the complex has owners. I understand that owners want (and are entitled to seek) maximum return on their investment. That said, we in the community have an interest in protecting the value of our own property and to the degree that any other property negatively impacts our own, we have an interest in ensuring that the owners of that property bear the burden for their refusal to keep their property up to standards.
When Copper Tree failed to provide basic necessities, such as mold-free living or sewage-free carpet, they saved money. The owners of the apartment community pocketed the money they would have otherwise had to spend to fix the problem. By saving money, they have imposed their costs on our community. I see this as not unlike a situation where Copper Tree (or anyone else) wants to save money by not paying for trash collection. Sure, they save money. Where does the garbage go? If the owners of the property dispose of the trash properly, I don't care where it goes. If the trash goes on my yard, I care a lot.
Letting a few weeds go un-pulled in the parking lot is one thing. When we're talking about broad deleterious effects on the community, which impose real costs on that community, I believe that the community then has the right to involve itself in the management of the apartment to the limited degree necessary to protect its interests.
I believe that the best approach to getting The Legends improved and elevated in the market is to apply pressure on them from a regulatory standpoint. Speedway has health ordinances. We have them for a reason. We elect a town council to enact these ordinances. If we don't believe in them we have the right to rescind them.
Interestingly, this Copper Tree (n/k/a The Legends) is split between two councilor's districts. Districts 2 (Jeff Matthews) & 4 (Eileen Fisher) each have about 1/2 of it. I wonder if either of them has made a stink about this. If anyone knows, please inform.
As a somewhat-related aside, I wonder who made the determination that Copper Tree should be split between two councilor's districts and why that decision was made. The cynic in me has ideas, but I try to keep the cynic in me at bay.
The fact remains that we have a town health code.
We need to enforce it.
If the owners of this complex are unable or unwilling to comply with our sanitary requirements (which, to be impolitely frank, I could think of worse things than to be called "too clean"), they are free to alienate their asset to someone who is willing to comply with our laws.
Last but by no means least, I want to be clear that this is in no way an indictment of the residents of Copper Tree. If I were to survey them, I'm willing to bet the overwhelming sentiment would be that they yearn for sanitary apartments more than I yearn for their apartments to be sanitary, though that is just my assumption.
My $0.02.
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