Yes Weekly’s Ian Mcdowell will have an investigative article out next week;
On the Minimum Housing Standards Commission (MHSC);
The article will describe the interactions between former MHSC chair Franklin Scott and Assistant City Attorney Brent Ducharme that Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter cited as reason for Scott’s dismissal, and the reactions of his fellow commissioners (including the one who asked “which of us are you going to remove next?”).
It will also include the last statements Scott made as MHSC Chair, in which he called on Greensboro City Council to make it illegal for landlords to collect rent on apartments with health and safety issues, as the City of Durham, NC Government did last month.
Yes Weekly Today;
In Durham, the city council unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s housing code that prohibits landlords from collecting rent if a housing unit is found to be “imminently dangerous” to tenants’ health and safety.
Under the ordinance, which is modeled after one in Charlotte, landlords can be charged with a misdemeanor if they collect rent on housing that has immediately dangerous conditions such as rotted or damaged structural supports, unsafe wiring, unsafe roofs, no potable water supply or no operating heating equipment in cold months, among other violations.
Mold issues at The District unaddressed by the City of Greensboro’s Code Compliance staff, which is listed under the Executive Department, led by City Manager Trey Davis;
I hear there’s black mold all over The District.
Please explain.
George Hartzman
We do not address mold, that falls under Guilford County Health.
Larry Roberts Chief of Compliance
Pics of District at Market Street mold taken today attached just from one person.
They are documenting everything they can.
More than a few understand what they’re up against.
George Hartzman
A ceiling;
From The District’s office;
This is from The District at Market Street.
.
“We do not address mold, that falls under Guilford County Health.”
Larry Roberts Chief of Compliance
.
Is Guilford County Health aware of this?
George Hartzman
Mr. Hartzman,
Thanks for sharing the referenced environmental concerns. I am in active conversation with the responsible parties to address the matter based on statutory responsibilities and the best interests of the impacted residents.
Victor Victor Isler County Manager County Manager’s Office
In the system;
“Provide all records documenting the referral of mold complaints or violations from the City of Greensboro’s Code Compliance Department to the Guilford County Health Department or anyone else for the period from January 1, 2023, to the present.
George Hartzman
A pic of Greensboro’s organizational chart;
No public statements from City Manager Trey Davis, Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter, Assistant City Manager Nasha McCray or Housing & Neighborhood Development Director Samuel Hunter to date.
I’ve talked to two former MHSC commissioners who said the commission was told they weren’t allowed to continue cases which came before them, by Tony Baker via Chuck Watts. Meaning the commission is prevented by the legal department to apply pressure to achieve fixes.
The following cases are months old, which all look multi-family [apartment complexes] and haven’t ended up as cases, as in prevented from going before the commission by city staff and legal.
Took me 10 minutes to find these, so there must be so many more…
Street Address: 600 BANNER AVE Violation Type: IPMC 304 Exterior Structure Date Created: 10/27/2025, 9:28:55 AM Status: Open Description: Every exterior stairway, deck porch and balcony and all appurtenances attached thereto, shall be maintained structurally sound, in good repair, with proper anchorage and capable of supporting the imposed loads.
They’re saying staff doesn’t bring multi family cases to the commission.
How can so many multifamily cases be open without any of them brought before the commission?
g
Dear Marikay, Hugh, Tammi, Adam, Trey and Andrea,
The District at West Market apartments
“Greensboro Strategic and Crisis Communications Manager Eric Chilton said the city last inspected the building on Nov. 19 as part of its regular annual process [what regular annual process?]. At that time, inspectors identified a small number of violations [what did they find?] that were still within a standard 30-day window for corrections. [Aren’t proactive inspections illegal? If so, what was the inspector doing there?]
On November 19th, a “routine” city inspection of The District found only minor violations; “That inspection did not raise red flags,” Chilton said. “Nothing out of the ordinary for a building of that size.”
Chilton said the volume of calls and the conditions inspectors encountered signaled a much more serious problem. [howbowda?]
There has been a case opened and ongoing since June 20, 2025, which never went to the MHSC;
The “Routine Inspection” That Missed Everything (Nov. 19);
...This is evidence that superficial, scheduled inspections are useless against deep, systemic neglect. It validates the need for the independent, investigative inspections the MHSC was stripped of.
...This is the definition of a complaint-driven, reactive system. It acts only when a crisis is already in progress, ...because the system lacks a mechanism for proactive intervention.
The Web of Unaddressed Violations (Zoning & Permits);
If the building was illegally operated as a standard apartment complex, it represents a fundamental regulatory failure. Was this unknown, or ignored?
...It shows a culture of non-compliance, likely because penalties are not feared.
You have harmed the most vulnerable among us for TREBIC and campaign cash.
The following summary is based on a combination of verifiable public records, statements from public officials, and allegations that are the subject of an upcoming investigative report. Readers should be aware of the following:
Verified Public Records: The provided case details from the City of Greensboro’s public portal confirm the existence of multiple open housing code violation cases at several apartment complexes, including 830 W MARKET ST (The District). These records show unresolved issues related to electrical systems, plumbing, interior and exterior structures, and pest elimination, some dating back to June 2025.
Official City & County Responses: Email correspondence confirms that the City of Greensboro’s Code Compliance defers mold complaints to the Guilford County Health Department. The County Manager’s office has acknowledged being engaged on the matter at The District.
Information from Other Jurisdictions: The linked news article verifies that the City of Durham, NC, passed an ordinance in 2025 prohibiting landlords from collecting rent on units deemed “imminently dangerous.”
Unverified Allegations & Pending Reporting: Several key points of contention remain unverified by the provided source material and are reportedly the focus of an upcoming investigative article by Yes Weekly:
The specific interactions between former MHSC Chair Franklin Scott and Assistant City Attorney Brent Ducharme.
The full timeline and nature of the City of Greensboro’s inspections and response at The District at Market Street prior to the recent evacuation.
Absence of Official Statements: As noted, there are no public statements available from the City Manager, Mayor, or other senior housing officials regarding the MHSC turmoil or the systemic questions raised about the code enforcement process.
In summary, while public records confirm significant, unresolved housing violations and inter-agency protocols, the core allegations of internal obstruction within the city’s enforcement process are not yet substantiated by the provided documents and await further investigative reporting.
