--- title: "Putting the Manners Back in Chancellor Manor" type: "pdf" year: "2002" canonical: "/projects/214" --- # PUTTING THE MANNERS ro.H.t.,n IN # Table of Contents - [PUTTING THE MANNERS ro.H.t.,n IN](#putting-the-manners-rohtn-in) - [CHANCELLOR MANOR](#chancellor-manor) - [Scanning:](#scanning) - [Analysis:](#analysis) - [Response:](#response) - [Assessment:](#assessment) - [PUTTING THE MANNERS BACK IN CHANCELLOR MANOR](#putting-the-manners-back-in-chancellor-manor) - [AFTER 30 YEARS OF DECAY AND NEGLECT CHANCELLOR MANOR APARTMENT COMPLEX GETS AN OVERHALL.](#after-30-years-of-decay-and-neglect-chancellor-manor-apartment-complex-gets-an-overhall) - [Scanning:](#scanning) - [Analysis:](#analysis) - [Police Officers:](#police-officers) - [Management:](#management) - [Owners:](#owners) - [Residents:](#residents) - [Response:](#response) - [Shortterm goals:](#shortterm-goals) - [Long term goals:](#long-term-goals) - ["THE PLAN"](#the-plan) - [Implementation order of suggested solutions:](#implementation-order-of-suggested-solutions) - [VII. Begin the garage overhaul.](#vii-begin-the-garage-overhaul) - [VIII. LANDSCAPING.](#viii-landscaping) - [Long term goals:](#long-term-goals) - [CITY OF BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA](#city-of-burnsville-minnesota) ## CHANCELLOR MANOR Chancellor Manor is a $98 \%$ government subsidized rental property with 200 apartment units. ## Scanning: - The patrol officers were very frustrated with the stress that Chancellor Manor was placing on their time, and calls for service were becoming more violent. - Residents were upset because management was not fixing their maintenance needs and the complex was in complete disarray. + A significant number of problems were caused by non-residents. + The residents did not have any sense of ownership in the property. ## Analysis: There was a trend since 1993 that showed the demand for police calls increased every year (graph 1). In 1999 the average calls for service to an apartment unit in Burnsville was .75 per apai talent, however, Chancellor Manor was averaging 2.4 calls per apartment. ![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/02-05/img-0.jpeg) YEAR Graph 1 Nine groups were identified that had an interest in Chancellor Manor. # Response: Each group was met with, and a list of concerns was identified. The list was prioritized and a comprehensive plan was developed. There was a group meeting where goals were set with reasonable deadlines. ## Assessment: The quality of life was improved. Visually there are now concrete walkways, retaining walls, new siding, new lighting, new signage and improved property maintenance. One woman stated "...I'm actually inviting friends over again and I feel safe walking at night." A follow-up survey also demonstrated the improved feelings. Police calls for service were reduced. The statistics were run from March 8, 2001 to March 8, 2002. There was a $35 \%$ decrease in police calls for service in one year! Residents are showing ownership by using garbage cans and participating in on-site programming. School age children no longer refer to Chancellor Manor as "the hood," and no longer use the excuse for their misbehavior that "I'm from Chancellor Manor". Sadly, both of the previously mentioned references use to be the case. The Recreation Depai tinent and Social Services are finding their programs well attended. The City Codes are being complied with. The Fire Marshal got his fire alarm. Management can now conduct the normal day to day operations. Vandalism to the property is at an all time low. Police Officers are once again spending extra time on calls. The owners have implemented almost every aspect of the plan that was agreed to at the meeting. # PUTTING THE MANNERS BACK IN CHANCELLOR MANOR ## AFTER 30 YEARS OF DECAY AND NEGLECT CHANCELLOR MANOR APARTMENT COMPLEX GETS AN OVERHALL. The City of Burnsville is a suburb of the Twin Cities in Minnesota with a population of approximately 60,000 people. Burnsville's apartment community represents roughly $30 \%$ of the city's entire population. Chancellor Manor is a $98 \%$ government subsidized property with 200 apai tifent units. Chancellor Manor's residents are about 50\% Somalian, and the rest are mostly Caucasian and African American. Many small children and teenagers live there. ## Scanning: The patrol officers were very frustrated with all the stress that Chancellor Manor was placing on their time. While the numbers of calls for service was alarming, it was only part of the concern. The types of calls for service were becoming more violent. There was a home invasion, robbery, violent domestics, drug dealing, prostitution, and assaults involving baseball bats and even an ax. In one incident, officers responding to a loud party were shot at. This state of affairs was causing frustration by both residents and management. Residents were upset because management was not fixing their maintenance needs. When the maintenance requests were finally addressed, management was sometimes billing the resident for the repair even if the item broke from normal ware and tare. Onsite managers and property management were upset because any efforts that were made to improve the property were destroyed almost immediately. Initially, many believed the cause of the problem was the high percentage of unemployed residents of Chancellor Manor abusing drugs and alcohol. These residents then got bored, and engaged in disorderly and destructive behavior. After completing the analysis, it became clear that many of the problems were caused by non-residents. The problems were magnified by management's lack of maintenance to the property (broken window theory, G.L. Kelling and Coles). Finally, the residents did not have any sense of ownership in the property. ### Analysis: Since Chancellor Manor was built in 1972, the police calls for service per apartment unit have always been high. Since 1993 the trend has shown the demand for police calls gradually increasing every year (graph I). In 1999 the average calls for service to an apartment unit in Burnsville was .75 per year, however, Chancellor Manor was averaging 2.4 calls per unit. In 2000, Chancellor Manor was on exceeded 600 calls for service. ![img-1.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/02-05/img-1.jpeg) **Graph I** Prior to the problem solving project, the traditional style of policing was the method of response. This reactive style was proving ineffective at improving Chancellor Manor's situation. As a result of the lack of improvement demonstrated from the traditional style, we were beginning to see a negative attitude demonstrated by officers who were taking calls at Chancellor Manor. The police were concerned to go onto the property without adequate backup, and would stay only as long as it took to deal with the incident they were responding to. The first objective was to determine the magnitude of the problems. We started by identifying every group that had an interest in Chancellor Manor. The nine interest groups included: owners of Chancellor Manor, Management Company, Residents at Chancellor Manor, Police Officers, City of Burnsville Code Inspectors, Burnsville Fire Marshal, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Social Services, and the Burnsville Recreation Department. The members of each group who were familiar with Chancellor Manor were interviewed, and a survey was conducted of the residents (appendix I). It was obvious the police department was experiencing problems, but no one realized the magnitude of the problems that the other groups were also experiencing. The following is an overview of the concerns that were expressed from each group: # Police Officers: - Non residents were a large percentage of the people causing problems (damaging property, disturbing the peace, minor consuming, buying and selling drugs). Officers responded to parties where the tenant was not even home, and domestics where the person arrested was not on the lease. - Residents were not cooperating with crime investigations which inhibited the ability to take action. Suspects, victims and even witnesses were giving false names and false information. There was one incident were a victim lied about who beat her up. - Children were shoplifting at surrounding retail stores. The children had no adult supervision and there were concerns that the adults were encouraging the children to steal because they could not be charged due to their ages. Small children were outside and unsupervised as late as 2:00 AM. * Onsite security could not be found even when they were supposed to be on the property. In one case a security guard charged passed Officers and assaulted a juvenile for holding up their middle finger at him. - Certain apar trnents were identified as habitual call spat Intents that were stressing the police services. Burnsville City Recreation Department and Social Services: - Workers on the grounds feared for their personal safety to such a degree that they had altered their work hours to be onsite only during daylight hours. These two groups had already joined forces and rented an apartment that they were using for community outreach at Chancellor Manor. - Residents lack of participation in support programs caused these departments to evaluate pulling out and discontinuing efforts. - Children were rarely supervised and parents were dropping children off and using the Family Center as daycare. - Grounds were unsafe as a result of the glass and general conditions of the property. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Site inspections observed: sidewalks with sharp edges, broken glass, missing hand rails, missing siding, missing vents, missing smoke detectors, and mold on ceilings. - Requested a three-year improvement plan that Chancellor Manor was to submit addressing their findings. City of Burnsville Code Inspectors: - Exterior areas: Denuded lawn areas, eroded landscaping that is now flooded, missing railings, damaged fencing, broken and sunken sidewalks, poorly maintain trash areas, appliances not properly secured in secure fashion, missing building numbers. - Garages: Holes through sheetrock, firewalls littered with debris and abandoned vehicles, doors not working. - Interior Common Areas: Light fixtures missing lights, stair treads not secure or missing, unsealed attic scuttles, nonfunctional fire doors. - Interior of individual units: Leaking plumbing, water-damaged ceilings, peeling paint, broken doors, broken screen doors. - Management was not responding to maintenance requests. This was requiring visits to view maintenance request items and then follow-up with management identifying repair issue in letterform. Fire Marshal: The current fire alarm is outdated and needs to be replaced. The old alarm did not give any indication as to what sensor set off the alarm. If fire and smoke could not be seen, it was unknown if the alarm was false. The reason it was taking years to upgrade the alarm was because HUD required Chancellor Manor to get three bids from three different companies before they would release funds for the fire alarm. Chancellor Manor could not find three companies who were willing to bid the job because no one wanted it! # Management: The management staff felt overwhelmed with tenant issues, HUD demands, City of Burnsville demands, Police demands, and the day-to-day operations of the property. ## Owners: The owners of Chancellor Manor consist of over twenty individuals and companies that are spread throughout the country. They pay a management company, Sentinel Management, to oversee the property. Sentinel Management manages numerous apartment communities in the metro area in Minnesota. This property in Burnsville is not one of their top priorities. They claim that because it is a HUD (government subsidized) property, their hands are tied on how much they can spend on improvements and general maintenance. ## Residents: Officers hand delivered surveys to the residents and to our amazement over $30 \%$ of the residents responded. The two main concerns were lack of supervision of children and the cleanliness of the property. We also found the residents were frustrated because of a perception that the police did not care. The residents felt officers would only take a report and would then leave as quickly as they could. A Crime Analyst researched the types of police calls being generated. The results showed very high numbers of domestics and disorderly conducts. When compared to previous years, however, 2000 was on pace in every category with previous years except "miscellaneous officer." Miscellaneous officer is a disposition that means an incident took place, but it did not fit the criteria of a crime. Explanations for the $50 \%$ increase in this area when comparing it to the previous year were purely speculation. The Crime Analyst was able to identify the buildings and specific apartments generating the most calls. One apartment unit generated 16 calls for service in a seven-month period. After completing the analysis, it became clear that non-residents caused many of the problems. Chancellor Manor is on a main bus route that shuttles people from Minneapolis. There also appeared to be a large number of people living at Chancellor Manor who were not on a lease. The problems were magnified by management's lack of maintenance to the property. The physical environment was in complete disarray. The following was observed on the property: - Indestructible playground equipment was destroyed. - Ground erosion had left standing water that was not repaired. - Dirt walking paths covered the grounds. - Dirt, grass and sandlots were peppered with broken beer and liquor bottles. On one occasion the ambulance was sent to Chancellor Manor for a child who had severally cut their foot open on glass in an infant play lot. - Garbage littered the grounds. A city code inspector saw a resident throw a bag of garbage that broke open twenty feet from a garbage dumpster. The resident left the garbage there. - Trees were over grown creating many dark hiding places for criminals to conceal themselves and their criminal activity. - Concrete sidewalks were cracked and had gaps and lips in excess of four inches that people could trip over. - Garage doors did not work and the garage inside walls had holes kicked through the sheet rock. - Garages were littered with garbage, abandoned cars, car parts and car fluids. - Stolen cars and other stolen property were regularly found in the garages. - Homeless people were found living in some of the garages. - A broken fence guarding a fifteen-footdrop on the property was never fixed. - Shopping carts were as common on the property as were cars. These carts served as toys for the children. - An industrial strength basketball hoop was destroyed. This post, backboard and hoop was stronger than any hoop in the any of city parks and was only intact for two weeks. - Concrete picnic tables that should have lasted for at least fifteen years were covered with graffiti after a few days. After a couple of weeks the concrete attached benches had been cracked and in one case even removed from the table. Light bulbs were removed from outside fixtures and used for personal lighting inside apailinents. The post lighting at the entrances were burnt out and in some cases knocked down. There was not even enough lighting to see the ground in front of you as you walked at night. The final identified underlying condition was the residents did not have any sense of ownership in the property. The situational information that was unique to Chancellor Manor was the government subsidized (HUD) factor and the no identifiable owner factor. HUD holds all the money used for improvements at Chancellor Manor. An approval process must be followed before HUD will release any of the money for improvement or maintenance projects. There was not an identifiable owner(s) of the property, so Sentinel Management Company was the only group that had any responsibility for the property. Sentinel Management had no incentive to keep up the condition of the property as long as they could rent the apartments. Because of the shortage in subsidized housing, this was never an issue. # Response: The following interventions were considered: - Find a new buyer for the property. - Issue citations for every maintenance violation. - Implement a police saturation and zero tolerance campaign. - Wait for HUD to intervene and rectify quality of life conditions. - License the rental properties to allow the City of Burnsville to ensure compliance with license requirements and shut down non-compliant properties. - Work together with all interested parties in a unified approach to improve the quality of life at Chancellor Manor. When considering all the possible interventions, one seemed to rise to the top. Working together with all interested parties in a unified approach to improve the quality of life at Chancellor Manor would require a great deal of organization and work, but it also provided the greatest chance for long term success in a relatively short period of time. The groups needed to work together with an organized approach. If done correctly, everyone involved would benefit. The greatest obstacles were the lack of leverage to force Chancellor Manor to make any improvements, and the lack of funding for the needed improvements. The plan required support from the Burnsville City Code Inspectors, HUD, and the Fire Marshal. The hope was that they would support a plan that set reasonable dates as to when certain projects were to begin and when they were to be completed. These groups would be happy because for the first time, they would see the progress and could monitor the progress on the remaining issues that had to be completed. The Sentinel Management Company would have input as to what are reasonable dates and would get a break from the current barrage of demands they were receiving. The police would be able to play a role in the improvements by creating the document that would be agreed upon. This was a great opportunity to put the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to work. An advanced CPTED course was being offered in Sarasota Florida. It was agreed that the CPTED training could have a direct positive impact on the project and Officer Senile was sent to Florida for the training. # Shortterm goals: - get each group interested in the project - set a strategy meeting date that all crucial people could attend - complete the document containing the proposed plan ## Long term goals: - improve the quality of life at Chancellor Manor - reduce the number of police calls for service to an average of 1 call per service per unit - give the residents a sense of pride in their community The document needed to organize this information in a format that was easily understood by every group involved, and addressed all the pertinent issues in a constructive manner. The document needed to be completed in one meeting. If the crucial individuals (Sentinel Management owner, Chief of Police, Deputy City Manager, Department Head of Inspections, high-ranking HUD Official, City Attorney) of each group could meet and agree to the terms of the plan" then it would happen. At the conclusion of this four-hour meeting, we had a finalized plan with completion dates. # "THE PLAN" ## Implementation order of suggested solutions: Life Safety. Any issue that could result in someone getting hurt should be dealt with immediately. This would include the fire alarm, electrical concerns, broken glass and firewalls in the town-home garages. (Refer to report A8, D4, F8, M3,4,5,6) II. Don't let new problems in. Before the cleaning starts, every effort must be taken to keep new problems out. This will allow full attention to be given to existing problems. (Refer to report $\mathrm{H} 1,2,3,4$ ) III. Remove non-residents. Non-residents have been identified as causing damage to the property. A strong effort needs to take place to remove non-residents and reduce the damage to future improvements. (Refer to report B1, 11,2,3,4,5,6, L1,2) IV. Get residents involved. Hire additional staff from the property and begin making residents aware of the interest in improving the property. (Refer to report J1,3,4, K1,2, M1) V. Light the place up. Make sure all existing lights are working and implement the new lighting plan. (Refer to report A4,5) VI. Begin apartment by apartment review. (Refer to report M7,8,9,10,1 1,12,13) # VII. Begin the garage overhaul. If not started by now, the process to get the variance for the garages should be started. (Refer to report D1,3,5, M2) ## VIII. LANDSCAPING. Begin to plan the landscaping and line up contractors. (Refer to report AI,2,3,6,7, CI, El, F1,2,3,4,5,6,7, G1) IX. Signage. Put the finishing touches on the property. (Refer to report C2, D2) Refer to appendix 2 to see a portion of the 23-page document that references the above "Refer to report" notations. As a result of involving the numerous groups, there was a lot of excitement and support for the project. We worked with the Recreation Department to use funds from a Community Development Block Gant to pay for 16 to 32 hours of police officer overtime per week. Chancellor Manor gave the police an apartment free of rent and it was used to set up a police sub station. Through the help of Social Services we identified some key Somalian residents who translated and assisted in our efforts. The greatest difficulty encountered during the response phase of the plan was that management was not always as responsive as we would have liked. They needed constant reminding and the threat of consequences when dates neared and projects were not completed. Assessment: The results to date are remarkable! The tools are now in place for all of the goals to be met. In less then two years, every interest group experienced success. There is a sense of hope and enthusiasm for the future of Chancellor Manor. The Recreation Department and Social Services are no longer talking about pulling out, and instead are finding their programs well attended. The City of Burnsville Code Inspectors no longer need to spend endless hours hoping for compliance. The Fire Marshal got his new state of the art fire alarm. Management can now conduct the normal day to day operations, instead of constantly being overwhelmed with old demands. The residents now take advantage of the amenities and vandalism to the property is at an all time low. For the first time in years, other rental properties have higher monthly police calls for service. Police Officers are once again spending extra time on calls, and working with residents to look for long term solutions to their problems. The owners have implemented almost every aspect of "The Plan" and have even installed new siding on all the buildings. HUD still calls and wants to know what is going on. During the Response phase of the project we set the following goals: Short term goals: get each group interested in the project Each group was very interested. There was great participation and commitment by every group except HUD. HUD was interested in knowing what was going on, but was reluctant and refused to engage as a partner in this project. + set a strategy meeting date that all crucial people could attend On Thursday August 17, 2000 at 10:00 AM we had this crucial meeting. Every key person was at this meeting. The owner of Sentinel Management lives in Italy and even he was present. No one from HUD attended this meeting. - complete the document containing the proposed plan Prior to the meeting, a packet was mailed that outlined the specific concerns that were going to be addressed and possible solutions to the concerns. The meeting lasted four hours. At the conclusion of the meeting we had an agreed list of projects to complete, and specific dates as to when they were to be completed. # Long term goals: - improve the quality of life at Chancellor Manor The change in appearance of Chancellor Manor is truly unbelievable! There is new siding on the buildings. There are concrete walkways throughout the property in place of the previous dirt walkways. All the garage doors work. The grounds no longer have garbage blowing about. There is adequate lighting throughout the entire property. The trees have been trimmed up to open site lines. Concrete brick locking retaining walls were placed throughout the property to prevent erosion of the sand around play lots and newly sodded areas. There is now a large sign that has the name of Chancellor Manor displayed on it. The property is no longer an embarrassment, but a home. One woman stated "...I'm actually inviting friends over again and I feel safe walking at night." - reduce the number of police calls for service to an average of I call per service per unit The statistics were run from March 8, 2001 to March 8, 2002. There were a total of 426 police calls for service. In that same time period from 2000 to 2001, there were 655 police calls for service. That is a $\mathbf{3 5 \%}$ decrease in police calls for service in one year? Chancellor Manor went from a yearly average of 3.3 police calls for service, down to 2.1 police calls for service per apartment unit. We continue to work closely with management to identify who is causing problems and then deal with them; the indications are that this trend will continue. - give the residents a sense ofpride in their community The level of participation in Recreation and Social Services programming is so successful that the current space no longer accommodates there needs. The garbage cans that were placed throughout the property are frequently used. The trash problem has dramatically improved. School age children no longer refer to Chancellor Manor as "the hood," and no longer use the excuse for their misbehavior that "I'm from Chancellor Manor". Sadly, both of the previously mentioned examples use to be the case. We are continuing to closely monitor Chancellor Manor. Every month we run the police calls for service and watch for crime trends, or excessive calls to any one unit. We stay in close contact with the City of Burnsville Code Inspectors and discuss concerns with one another. The Police participate in recreation activities and have been called as guest speakers for Social Services programming on the property. For the Assessment Phase of this report, a follow-up survey to the residents was delivered. | $(5=\text { Good \& } 1=\text { Poor })$. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | | :-- | :--: | :--: | :--: | :--: | :--: | | A feeling that security guards create a safer living environment. | $22 / 12$ | $12 / 9$ | $12 / 14$ | $5 / 4$ | $8 / 4$ | | Parents supervise their children. | $9 / 14$ | $8 / 7$ | $7 / 13$ | $1414$ | $22 / 10$ | | Overall cleanliness and appearance. | $5 / 6$ | $9 / 9$ | $9 / 13$ | $13 / 5$ | $24 / 8$ | | I feel safe walking at night. | $10 / 12$ | 11114 | $11 / 9$ | $10 / 4$ | $17 / 3$ | *The above is a small portion of the results of the surveys that were sent out on 7-14-00 (blue) and 03-11-02 (red). Two hundred surveys were delivered, and 60 were returned the first time and 49 the second time. One of the largest obstacles we battled (and continue to do so) is the reputation of Chancellor Manor in the courts. The judges have been exposed to poor management from this property, and in some cases unreasonable treatment of tenants for many years. This has resulted in judges ruling in favor of residents who should have been evicted. We petitioned the judges, asking for a few minutes at one of their luncheons to explain our efforts, but they declined our offer. For this reason we still have known drug dealers and unlawful residents living at Chancellor Manor. Reference List: 1. Crowe, Timothy D. "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" 2000. 2. Fennelly, Lawrence J. "Handbook of Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention" 1999. Agency and Officer Information: 1. There was one Officer and one Sergeant who went after this project with a tremendous amount of passion. However, the efforts could never have been accomplished without the help of other personnel. The Police Chief and Captains were involved during the initial meetings and wanted up dates along the way. Officers spent patrol time and hundreds of overtime hours patrolling the property. The crime analyst worked closely with the multihousing officers to address all police issues immediately. Through some quick positive results, the project gained some exciting momentum and became an exciting project to be a part of. For this reason almost every Officer played some role in the success. 2. All the Burnsville Police Officers have attended a one-day training session in Community Oriented Policing. This training was conducted by the Institute of Community Oriented Policing. 3. Overtime was offered to Officers who wished to work on the project. Also, as part of the Officers Semi-annual performance evaluations, they are evaluated on COP efforts. 4. To assist Officers in the project, a SARA Model Problem Solving Project was used for a guideline. Officers were presented with this kit / document during the COP Training. 5. The greatest problem with the POP Model used was TIME. The project took a great deal of time to get started. Had the department known the amount of time and effort it would take to complete this project, it may have never been started. 6. There were a tremendous amount of personnel and financial resources committed to the project. Officer Senne spent countless hours on this project. Several times he was forced to put other priority issues on the back burner, so he could focus on Chancellor Manor. Other Officers were forced to pick up some of the slack, but it now appears to have been worth it. Financially, the Police Department used Community Development Block Grants to pay for Officer overtime. The total overtime hours came to 560 . 7. Project contact person information: Bob Hawkins Sergeant 100 Civic Center Parkway Burnsville, MN 55337 952 895-4596 fax 952 895-4640 bob.hawkins@ci.burnsville.mn.us # CITY OF BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT Nationally Accredited 100 Civic Center Parkway Burnsville, Minnesota 55337-3817 612 895-4600 • Pax 612 895-4640 Dear Resident of Chancellor Manor, Officers Bochniak, Hoppert, Kingery, and Mitchel of the Burnsville Police Dept. are very interested in getting actively involved with your community. We would like to know how you feel about your community at Chancellor Manor. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions to assist in directing our efforts as we hope to work with you and your family to improve our community together! 1. On the scale below, please rate the following at Chancellor Manor: - Good....Poor * A feeling that security guards create a safer living environment. 5 4 3 2 1 * Parents supervise their children. 5 4 3 2 1 * Overall cleanliness and appearance. 5 4 3 2 1 * I feel safe walking at night. 5 4 3 2 1 2. How long have you lived at Chancellor Manor? 0-1 Year 1-3 years 3-5 years 5-10 years 10+ years 3. Have you ever been the victim of a crime at Chancellor Manor? YES NO 4. Have you ever been the victim of a crime at Chancellor Manor and not reported it? YES NO (if answer was yes, what kind of a crime were you the victim of) 5. What types of crime do you experience in your community? - Drugs - Gangs - Theft - Domestic Assault - Other (specify) 6. How can we make your community safer? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | Identified Concern: | Possible Solution: | Rational: | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | A | Exterior lighting is not adequate. | 1 • Install Metal Halide lights in the parking lots (Appendix 1). • To determine the height for the light fixture, estimate the light will cover an area twice its height (i.e., a lamp 15 feet from ground will light an area of about 30 foot radius). • Use appropriate wattage, and enclose light so it only lights area desired. • Use high-pressure sodium (HPS) or mercury vapor wall-pack lights on the buildings. This will be especially effective on the sides of the buildings that face the courtyard (Appendix 2). | *These lights show the "real" colors, and allow for accurate identification of suspects and aid the police with successful apprehensions. • Use enough lighting to illuminate potential hiding or secluded places. However, as important it is to have enough lighting, it is equally important not to have too much. • Position lights at a height, distance and wattage that will not cause an uncomfortable glare for residents as they look out their apartments. • The high-pressure sodium provides good illumination at a low cost (100-140 lumen per watt), and low maintenance (bulb life of 24,000 hours). HPS will not show the "real" colors as well as metal halide, but will provide good lighting and at the same time discourage people from hanging out in the courtyard after dark. By mounting the lights on the building the glare will be reduced for those looking out the windows of the building the lights are mounted on. *Mercury Vapor is another light source option that is initially less expensive to install, but costs much more to operate (45-63 lumens per watt). It has about the same bulb life of a HPS, but it takes about three mercury vapor lights to replace one HPS for the same brightness. *By placing the light in an enclosed fixture, it reduces glare and encourages people to keep their window coverings open. *The classic style lamps have small plates of glass protecting the light bulb and the glass can be easily replaced if broken. The other option is a globe that has metal fins (Cecil Newman property in N. Mpls has had good luck with these). *Make the entrances obvious so that people know they are entering Chancellor Manor. The entrance sets the tone for the property you are entering. This could be accomplished with proper lighting and signage at each entrance. *To comply with city code. *HUD and City of Burnsville Inspectors identified lighting concerns. The above suggestions, and replacement of burnt out light bulbs should satisfy all lighting | Appendix 2 | | | | concerns. | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | B | Non-residents causing problems on the property | 1 | *Modify the house rules to include a clause stating that all guests on the property must be accompanied by a resident, and that all residents are responsible for the actions of their guests.* (Also see garages concern.) | | | | 2 | * (Note that the property, and are destroying it.) | | C | Many residents do not take pride in the property, and are destroying it. | 1 | *Place permanent posts, about two to three feet tall, at the end of patios or even a few feet into the grass. Residents should be encouraged to place plants or flowers on the posts.* Assign parking stalls to residents. | | D | Garages | 1 | *Remove all "island" garages (Appendix 6 + 7).* Create a well signed "visitor parking" lot.* Build walls in-between the individual garage stalls and install garage door openers (Appendix 8). The interiors must be kept clean of debris and abandoned vehicles per city code.* Repair the sheet-rock (firewalls) in the garages of the town-homes.* All garage doors must be in good repair and function as intended. | *Hold tenants accountable for the behavior of their guests. The residents will start screening their guests so their lease does not get terminated.* Proper use of trespass notices will identify people who are causing problems, and will allow the police to assist management in keeping these people off the property. *The goal is to cause the residents to take ownership in "their property" at Chancellor Manor. People will watch and take care of that which they feel belongs to them. - The posts will create territoriality and distinguish the property line between semi-private and private space. The increased private space will enhance the feeling of ownership for the residents. Plus, the new flowers and plants should instill a feeling of pride, concerning their property. *Assigned parking stalls will create a feeling of ownership in the parking lot. If someone was to park in the stall assigned to the tenant, the tenant would feel infringed upon and would watch that person who just parked in "their" spot. *These structures block the view from the street and apartment buildings. This creates secluded areas, which are ideal for illegal activity. - By removing the garages, the space created could be used for visitor parking. By designating the area as visitor parking, management could monitor the vehicles and identify possible unauthorized guest. It also sends a message to those visiting Chancellor Manor that they are guests and that the property does not belong to them. *Removing the garages would also prevent children from playing in them, vandalism and the occasional "visitor" that sleeps in them. - By making the garages enclosed stalls, it will be easy to make tenants responsible for "their" garage. The garage door openers will automatically lock the doors when they are closed and because of the convenience, tenants will keep garages closed. - To comply with city code. To comply with city code. *HUD has classified "garage and carports" as a "high urgency". | | | | *Before the garage buildings are removed, a variance will be needed. | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | E | Much of the landscaping is overgrown. | 1 | *Trim all the bushes down to two feet and all the trees up to seven feet (Appendix $11+14$ ). | | F | The courtyard has a lot of undefined space and is showing signs of erosion and poor drainage. | 1 | *Strategically place paved walking paths through the courtyard (Appendix 9). Also, replace any sunken or broken sections of walkways and keep them in a clean and safe condition. *Install fencing around the playground lots and basketball area. Place durable benches inside of the fences (Appendix $10+12$ ). Repair and maintain all existing fencing. *Replace the basketball hoops with a piece of equipment that balls can be tossed into but does not have a backboard (appendix 13). -Install a water fountain in the center of the courtyard. The water fountain should be constructed of concrete and have drainage such that water can not collect around it. Place benches around the fountain. *Re-establish and maintain all denuded lawn areas. *Clean up all eroded areas and protect it from future erosion. *Grade all low areas to prevent ponding of water. * Repair and maintain all railings along steps. | *Before the garage buildings are removed, a variance will be needed. - There are signs of people sleeping behind the evergreen trees along $143^{\text {rd }}$ St. Trim the shrubs down to two feet and the trees up to seven feet. This will create a clear visual site line and eliminate the opportunity to use the plantings as cover to hide behind. *The walking paths should lead to the different activity options in the courtyard. This should encourage people to walk on the paths instead of the grass. If people continue to kill the grass by walking on it, fences may be needed. *Either a five foot CPTED fence (the style that separates the Northern Chancellor property from the shopping mall on Co. Rd. 42), or a five foot chain link fence. The benches would be used for parents to sit on. To comply with city code. *An area for physical exercise is very important. However, the basketball hoops at Chancellor have encouraged non-residents to come onto the property. Also, Parkview Apts. in N. Mpls. were having problems with drug dealing and loitering until they pulled their basketball hoops. The suggested piece of equipment would allow the opportunity for exercise, but would not provide an atmosphere inviting illegal activity. *The water fountain would provide an activity for children to play in on hot summer days. Place benches around the fountain to encourage parents to watch the children play. The fountain would also create a soothing "white noise" that would dilute other noise within the courtyard area. -To comply with city code. -To comply with city code. *To comply with city code. *To comply with city code. *To comply with city code. *HUD has classified the "lawn and plantings" as a "high urgency". *City of Burnsville Inspections also identified the lawn areas as "denuded". The suggestions above should be done at the same time that ...