Council presses MPHA on inspection oversight and rental‑licensing gaps at Heritage Park

Council members used MPHA's budget presentation to press for clarity about who inspected Heritage Park over the past several years and why licensing and oversight gaps persisted.

Council member Jamal Warren cited the receiver's August report, reading a summary that described "extensive water damage" and systemic moisture intrusion observed across the property, and asked how the housing authority had reported units as passing inspection to the MPHA board. Warren said court filings indicate problems including thousands of failing windows and dozens of patched roofs. "This inspection revealed extensive water damage to the property," he read from the receiver report.

MPHA deputy director Dominic Mitchell and executive director Abdul Warsamy replied that the site's prior ownership structure and regulatory agreements limited MPHA's day‑to‑day control: MPHA said it historically passed operating subsidy to the site owner, and that owner was responsible for leasing and certain inspection duties. MPHA officials said they had monthly meetings with the owner from 2023 onward, provided millions in pass‑through funds, and only reengaged more intensively as the owner stepped back and receivership began.

On rental licensing, MPHA communications director Drew Hollinan told the committee that the units at Heritage Park did not hold active rental licenses from 2019 until 2025 per prior communications with city staff and owner testimony; MPHA staff said the city resumed active licensing and inspections around the start of receivership in late 2025. MPHA also said legal limits on using federal funds to pay city licensing fees have complicated the formal payment process even when MPHA maintains licenses for compliance purposes.

Council members requested a written follow‑up explaining the timeline of inspections and licensing and urged the administration to clarify the city's enforcement responsibilities and any changes since 2019. MPHA said it welcomes inspection access and that HUD and city inspections continue as part of multiple overlapping oversight regimes.