In The News

Originally Published in The Augusta Press
By: Susan McCord

Congressman Rick Allen toured the Bon Air apartment complex this week with officials from Redwood Housing Partners and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The visit is the latest public step in a longstanding effort to address problems at the historic property. The current structure opened in 1923 as a luxury hotel, but has functioned as subsidized housing since the early 1980s. Redwood paid $25 million for the Bon Air and downtown Richmond Summit hotel in 2020.

Soon after, Redwood renewed a 20-year agreement with HUD to provide Section 8 project-based rental assistance at the properties. Numerous issues including fire code and property maintenance code violations, crime and a lack of heat and AC soon came to light. 

In 2022, Allen sent a letter to HUD and Redwood demanding Redwood be held accountable for conditions at the properties. Since then, his office has been in “regular communication” with HUD and Redwood demanding that substantial renovations be made, according to a statement released Monday.

The commissioner who represents the Bon Air, Catherine Smith Rice, has pushed for inspections and improvements over the last few years. District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson, who represents the Richmond Summit area, pressed for similar improvements downtown. 

Last year, the commission put Redwood’s license on probation in an effort to get the company in line. Redwood responded by shuttling residents wearing “We Support Redwood” t-shirts to a commission meeting.

In a statement, Allen said a Monday tour of renovated units and common areas convinced him that Redwood and HUD have met his office’s demands. Elevators have been repaired, management is routinely meeting with tenants as well as the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Augusta Fire Department, “and much more,” he said.

“Over the last several years, members of my team and I have been in regular communication with HUD and Redwood, consistently demanding that substantial renovations be made at the Bon Air to ensure residents can enjoy a clean and safe living environment,” the statement said.

“After my visit today, I can confidently say that we have achieved that goal,” he said.

Allen, now facing election-year challenges in the May 19 primary as well as the November general election, also lives in the Summerville community that surrounds the Bon Air. 

He said he hopes with communication and accountability, the Bon Air will remain a “modern, safe and enjoyable atmosphere” for residents and visitors and “a place of pride for the surrounding community.”