KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Woodside Village was billed as a high-end living option in Westwood, but one resident had a much different experience.
Steven, who didn’t want to give his last name, said, “All it’s been is a headache ever since I moved in.”
Steven says ongoing issues of leaky windows and mold is forcing his family to stay at a hotel.
The Woodside Village development has been open for about a year, using $28 million in tax subsidies through a TIF, in which the developer wouldn't pay property taxes. The hope is that sales tax revenue from the development would pay back the developer costs.
Tanner & White Properties, the developer, is planning a second phase just south of the existing development.
E-mails between Steven and Woodside Village management show the mold issues go back six months.
“They said they’d work on repairs. They’re still leaking. I have concerns,” Steven said.
Steven says on three different occasions, his bathroom leaked water down into Blue Sushi Sake Grill, the restaurant right below him, where people were eating. The restaurant confirmed with 41 Action News that it happened.
It’s not just Steven’s apartment with the issues.
An October notice sent out to residents says multiple units had issues with water intrusion, and that some people will have to relocate while management fixes it.
Management sent out another notice in the beginning of November offering residents the option to get out of their leases.
The notice said a mold test performed by Titan Environmental Services came back and the “vast majority of the results indicate there is no reason for concern.” That included Steven’s apartment.
But Steven says he paid $450 for his own independent report for “peace of mind.”
“It had 1,680 spores per cubic meter of Penicillium Aspergillus, which is a mold that can cause health issues. The mold that my test found was five times higher than what was found outside,” Steven said.
Steven’s report was done by Mold Inspection & Testing, and says it is their “professional opinion that elevated mold conditions do exist at the property.”
Woodside Village management told 41 Action News construction-related issues are the culprit, and they’ve remediated the few units with mold.
“I have given my report to the building. They haven’t remediated the problem,” Steven countered.
Steven says the ongoing problem goes against Westwood City code, and they should investigate.
“So I’m just eating costs during that time for hotels and breathing in god knows what,” Steven said.
