Neighborhood Council Wins Negligence Case Against Apartment Management

Dorri Partain
Managing Editor

Independence Plaza Neighborhood Council and Neighborhood Legal Services announced on Thursday, April 9, a final judgement against Millenia Management, owners of Olive Park Village, to secure and clean the property.

Olive Park Village, a multi-family housing complex located between Ninth and Seventh streets, from Olive to Wabash Avenue, has been the site of neglected maintenance, fires, and vermin infestations. Numerous inspections through the City’s Healthy Homes department and a growing concern for the health and safety of Olive Park tenants lead Independence Plaza Neighborhood Council (IPNC), through assistance with Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS), filed a Civil Nuisance suit against the property owner on Dec. 23, 2025.

This multi-unit complex of apartments and townhomes is owned and operated by The Millennia Companies, with a main office located in Cleveland, Ohio. According to the company’s web page, Millennia owns /operates more than 280 apartment developments in 26 states, housing 86,000 people.Thier mission statement offers “Millinnia’s development and management teams have preserved affordable housing and transformed communities.”

On October 20, 2025, NLS sent a letter on behalf of the tenants and IPNC, to notify said owner of the suit filed against their company. This letter outlined numerous issues tenants had encountered in the past two years regarding the condition of the apartments units and site overall, documenting a continuous pattern of negligence.

This letter stated that “pursuant to R.S. Mo Section 82.1025 (which is incorporated herein by reference) to put you on notice that the Property is a nuisance as defined by that statute and to inform you that, if you do not repair the damage to the Property within 60 days of the date of this letter to fully abate that nuisance, then the IPNC will bring a civil action in Jackson County Circuit Court in Kansas City, Missouri under R.S. Mo. Section 82.1025 for injunctive relief to ask the Court to require you to abate the nuisance.”

Millennia did not respond to the letter or make any improvements during the required 60 days, according to Gregg Lombardi, head counsel for NLS.

With assistance from the City’s Public Safety Task Force, Olive Park Village tenants were relocated and all buildings in the complex were boarded and posted with Do Not Enter orders on January 14. Boarding of 329 doors and windows, a cost paid by the City, totaled more than $28.000.

Court proceedings in the Civil Nuisance case began February 19 with a preliminary injunction hearing, followed by a priority setting bench trial on March 17 in Jackson County Circuit Court.

During an inspection two days prior to the preliminary injunction hearing, 40 of the 100 complex units were found to be open to public access and at least six units unlawfully occupied by trespassers. A February 25 court order required defendant Millennia to take additional steps to secure doors and windows, retain a two-person security patrol to perform drive-by and walk-through inspections and re-securing unsecure units.

On March 17, City Codes Inspector Craig Straws and Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) Battalion Chief James Cooley testifying on behalf of the plaintiffs IPNC and NLS regarding continued issues with buildings open to entry and fire hazards, including a March 11 blaze that temporarily trapped three fire fighters when a floor collapsed. Citing the overall conditions of the eight remaining buildings in the Olive Park complex, the plaintiff requested that five be demolished and the remaining three rehabilitated.

A heavily fire-damaged three-unit building at 2410 E. Ninth was demolished the same day of the trial. Permits for additional demolitions have been approved, with a six-unit building at 2300 E. Ninth completed soon.

The judgement by Circuit Court Division 18 Judge Kevin D. Harrell orders that within ten days, Defendant shall erect a six-foot high chain link fence with posts set in concrete around the entire perimeter of the property, within seven days, will remove at least one 40-yard dumpster of trash, debris, and displaced building materials per day until property is free of said items and free from all trash no later than two weeks, and that the Defendant continues to submit bi-weekly progress reports to the court in compliance with requirements.

Chloe Willett, an Independence Plaza neighborhood resident who lives near the Olive Park Village Complex, stated that she was relieved regarding the judgement but also worried about the continuing fire risk.

“I’m excited for the impact that this Judgment is going to have on our community and public safety,” stated Willett. “I’m still worried that more buildings are going to burn down because the buildings have not been fully secured yet, but I’m hopeful for what will happen next.”

On Friday, April 10, KCFD responded to a fire call at 3:51 a.m. and extinguished a blaze at 759-757-755 Park Ave. This building suffered fire damage previously on March 2.

A compliance hearing to evaluate progress in this Judgement against Millenia is set for May 14.