

SUBJECT OF SUIT: Valley Heights Apartments.

The city of Little Rock filed suit yesterday to declare the Valley Heights Apartments at 6900 Cantrell Road in the Tanglewood neighborhood a public nuisance. The suit wants an order for the owner to abate the nuisance or, if necessary, close and raze the apartments.

The 198-unit complex, which accepts tenants in the federally subsidized housing assistance program, has long been a sore spot in the neighborhood for noise, traffic and a belief that it’s a source for crime.

Here’s a copy of the lawsuit. It says the property has been the scene of at least four burglaries and thefts since April and property stolen there was stored on the complex premises. The suit said the property was contributing to the deterioration of the surrounding neighborhood,


A Facebook page sprouted up to air concerns about the apartments.

The apartments are owned by an LLC and managed by the Henry Corporation of Arkansas. A spokesman in the property management office said she was not aware of the lawsuit and was unable to comment. D. Deming Henry, who heads the management company, was not available for comment. I’ve sent the company a copy of the suit and asked for comment.


UPDATE: Late today, the owners released a statement that said they had worked with neighbors, police and city officials to address concerns and that tenants would be removed for actions of which the city has complained if management knew about them. The statement, which you can read in full here, said in part:

Henry believes that the City Attorney was pressured into initiating this action in response to an isolated incident and without proper notice. Henry states that Valley Heights Apartments are a well-run affordable housing project and that he will vigorously defend against the City’s claim, which has no merit.

Abatement battles can be long running. It was just a couple of months ago that the city voted to finally raze the notorious “Sin City” apartments in Southwest Little Rock after a couple of decades of fights with neighbors over conditions there.

Realistically, a closure of the big complex isn’t likely to occur any time soon, if ever. For that, the owners would have to be shown to be complicit in illegal acts occurring there.

Valley Heights’ purchased was financed by a $4.5 million 2007 bond issue issued by the Pulaski County Public Facilities Board. This low-cost public financing comes with the requirement of a rental cap to insure units will be affordable to people of lower incomes. Some residents pay their own rent. Some qualify for federal housing vouches. All must pass a criminal background check and be certified to rent, a spokesman for the owner said.


City Attorney Tom Carpenter’s notice to city directors about the lawsuit follows as well as a city news release