The grounds at Cascade Village are better maintained since the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority acquired the complex in April, resident Jeanne Parker said.
“The maintenance girls, they are phenomenal,” said Parker, 69, who has lived here for 11 years.
For other residents, changes have been harder to see.
Before leaving in the morning, Victor Jackson and his wife, Deborah, still check under their car for animals in their section of the 242-unit complex — especially racoons in search of trash.
The couple hasn’t signed a new lease since their original one-year agreement expired in October 2023, and they want to know if they will receive rental assistance through AMHA. Cascade Village’s website previously listed a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath townhouse like theirs for $1,125 a month, Deborah Jackson said, but she now has difficulty finding the property online or viewing rental prices.
“We wanted to see the price difference, but can’t even see that now without resubmitting an application,” she said.
Even Parker, who complimented the complex’s improved lawn care, agreed that some long-standing concerns remain. Accessible parking is still an issue, she added, forcing her to carry groceries from her car parked in a designated spot across the street from her apartment.
“It’s still,” Parker said, “after 11 years, no handicap parking.”
Before AMHA took over ownership in April, residents often raised concerns about living conditions, unaddressed water damage, mice, rats and other vermin, as well as overflowing dumpsters and trash left around the property. The organization’s plan was to stabilize the complex and eventually convert it to Rental Assistance Demonstration, a federal program also known as RAD.“Looking long-term for that community, our goal is to really engage with them on a deeper level from a programming and resource standpoint,” said Amina Hall, AMHA’s director of communications and philanthropy.
“They used to have this vibrant, engaged community and we want to be able to bring that back as much as we can.”
Changes are visible in the landscaping and trash collection since Testa Companies took over management of the property, Ward 5 Councilman Johnnie Hannah said. He said residents also appear to have fewer complaints now that management is more accessible.
“When management is local here, it’s better for the residents, because if they have any complaints, they can all get in contact with management right away,” Hannah said.
Hall said her agency held two resident meetings in June and hosted an Aug. 12 Touch-a-Truck event that drew 139 residents and community members. But some residents say they still lack clear information about the property’s future.
Deborah Jackson said residents are waiting to learn what comes next.
“They said they’ll keep us updated,” she said, “like they kept us updated with events, but we only have one event so far.”
Apartments available at Cascade Village in Akron
Cascade Village includes several types of housing, with lease renewals underway for some households paying market-rate rents:
- Hall of AMHA said the complex includes 106 public housing units, 78 market-rate units, 49 project-based voucher units and nine tax-credit units.
- Of the 78 market-rate units, AMHA sent lease renewal notices to 45 households. As of early August, Hall said 21 households signed renewals; five indicated they planned to move out and 19 had not yet responded.
- The five market-rate households that plan to move are doing so voluntarily, Hall added.
“Nothing has changed in terms of units since we’ve taken over,” Hall said. “Market rate units remain market rate. PBV units remain PBV.”
The RAD conversation has not begun, but remains AMHA’s long-term goal.
“It is still our intent to move in that direction,” Hall said.
AMHA details physical repairs that are underway
About 30 units were vacant when AMHA took over. That number has since decreased to 19 as the agency prepared units for new tenants, said Debbie Barry, AMHA’s deputy director.
The agency has replaced flooring and cabinets in vacant units and completed other repairs, Barry said. Other work includes replacing exterior lighting, as well as trimming and removing trees, paving roads and repairing a broken compactor.
“We’re getting the units market ready,” Barry said. Larger renovations are still in the planning stage. AMHA is working with a third party to determine what renovations the property needs, a process Barry said is expected to take 12 to 18 months.
