Hundreds of residents can’t go home after gas leaks, city seeks to raze buildings
Residents of an evacuated public housing complex in Columbia found out that they won’t be moving back to their old homes.
The Columbia Housing Authority announced Friday that Allen Benedict Court will not be rehabbed after hazardous gas leaks were found in multiple buildings, according to the agency’s attorney. The city is now looking for money to demolish the 80-year-old set of buildings near Harden Street.
“The consensus is, in consultation with the city, it’s just not worth it to rehab or bring them up to standard and have the city throwing good money after that,” attorney Bob Coble said. “It doesn’t make any sense to do that. It would be better to put in permanent housing.”
The decision comes after two men were found dead in separate apartments of Allen Benedict Court on Jan. 17.
Though the Richland County coroner said a cause of death had not been officially determined, public officials have indicated they believe a gas leak is to blame.
On Jan. 18, the complex was evacuated after the Fire Department found heightened levels of hazardous gases in 63 apartments. All 411 residents of the 26 buildings were ordered to leave. Housing, transportation and meals are being providing by the Columbia Housing Authority.
Former residents will be allowed to retrieve their belongings.
Coble said that by Tuesday former residents will start to be moved into new permanent housing and that the housing authority is required to give people three options for a new home. Some residents have already gone to stay with relatives, they told The State on Jan. 18. Others are living in hotels provided by the CHA.
The City of Columbia is looking to get a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help demolish the public housing project and build new permanent housing.
“If they don’t get the grant I’m sure they’d find some other way (to demolish),” Coble said. “You don’t want that just sitting. You want affordable housing in some other capacity.”
How long it may take to get the grant and begin the demolition and rebuilding process is unclear, Coble said.
Other public housing complexes in Columbia have been demolished and new housing built. Saxon Homes, a complex next door to Allen Benedict Court, and Hendley Homes in Rosewood were demolished in the last decade with new affordable and voucher housing being put into place. Gonzales Gardens, a public housing complex near Millwood Avenue and Taylor Street, was demolished in 2017. New housing has not been built on that site though plans are in place.
When new housing is built at Allen Benedict Court carbon monoxide detectors will be required if the homes have gas appliances, according to the South Carolina Fire Code.
The Columbia City Council adopted the S.C. Fire Code in 2016. The code required carbon monoxide detectors to be added to existing buildings, but a deadline for installing them is not spelled out in the code.
Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said inspections of public housing have been done by HUD and the Columbia Housing Authority. But the recent deaths and evacuation have him thinking the fire department may get more involved with public housing.
“Going forward it may be something we need to look into and just go ahead and do the inspection,” Jenkins said.
This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Hundreds of residents can’t go home after gas leaks, city seeks to raze buildings."