NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The owner of the former Seaview Lofts building still owes the city nearly $150,000 for the cost of putting residents up into hotels last year, according to court records.
A city spokesperson also confirmed Seaview Apartments LLC has not reimbursed the city for the funds.
As of Monday, the building remains condemned once again following a fire at the end of August.
In July 2022, a judge ordered the building condemned following several issues at the building, including to the elevators.
Residents were given money for hotels at the time, which a judge has ruled the owner needs to repay the city of the cost.
The order was removed in February and after that the city allowed four units to be occupied prior to the fire.
News 3 spoke to former residents of the building, including Tasha Gayle, who moved out last fall.
"I don't think it's going to change. The scar they put on me for me to move back there - nothing's changing, so I'll just move on," Gayle told News 3 over the phone.
Still, another former resident told News 3 he was hoping to move back in, but had no timeline on when that might be possible.
In addition to the hotel expenses, the city and Hampton Roads Sanitation District say the owner owes them for unpaid utility bills. In court filings, attorneys for the owner are challenging their claims.
The attorneys for the owner did not respond to a request for comment from News 3 Monday.
Dozens of residents also filed lawsuits against the owner last year.
One was in federal court and was dropped in June when an attorney for the residents said they would pursue the case in state court instead.
In Newport News Circuit Court, nothing has been filed in the residents' suit since April and no hearing is listed on the docket.
An attorney for the residents hasn't responded to repeated requests for information from News 3 on the case's status.
Several former residents told News 3 they feel like they've been left in the dark as of late.
"It's frustrating and difficult," said Gayle. "I think they make it where people just forget about it completely, but I'm not going to forget about it."
