The city of Kent dropped its public nuisance lawsuit against the owner and property management company of the Phoenix Court Apartments after reaching a formal settlement.
The city filed a lawsuit in August 2023 in King County Superior Court against the crime-ridden complex after city staff had urged the owners for nearly a year to take measures to improve the safety of the complex due to criminal and nuisance activity that was negatively impacting other residents of the apartment complex and the surrounding community, according to a Jan. 27 city media release.
“With insufficient progress being made and violent, criminal activity trending upwards, the city filed its lawsuit,” according to the city.
The Phoenix Court Apartments, 23913 111th Pl. SE, were a hotbed of criminal activity in 2022 and 2023, from shootings to stolen vehicles to drug dealing. In the first eight months of 2023, the complex had three homicides, 22 shots fired calls, 11 verified shootings, 23 stolen vehicle recoveries, 576 computer-aided dispatch calls and 124 case reports, according to Kent Police stats listed in the complaint filed by the city.
Following the suit, steps were then taken by the owners and managers to implement security features and they made other positive changes at the property, which have resulted in significantly reduced criminal and nuisance activities, according to the city.
“The settlement reached between the city and the owners and managers of the Phoenix Court Apartments requires that these security features be maintained and that additional measures be implemented to prevent a public or criminal nuisance from reoccurring on the property,” according to the city. “If such nuisance activity were to reoccur, the owners and managers agreed to take immediate action to abate that nuisance activity.”
Because of the settlement and signing of an agreement to implement its terms, the city filed a motion to dismiss its lawsuit, which a judge granted Jan. 24.
“The city of Kent acknowledges and is appreciative of the efforts taken by the owners and managers of the Phoenix Court Apartments to improve the property’s condition and for their commitment to continue those efforts, which represents a positive step forward toward resolving this issue and improving public safety in the Kent community,” according to a city statement.
The suit was filed against Kenton Ridge LLC, of Mercer Island; Michael Kwan, the governing member of Kenton Ridge and his wife, Margaret Kwan; and Allied Residential, a Renton-based company that manages the apartments.
The lawsuit asked for numerous measures, including security fencing surrounding the property; regular changes to the entrance code gate; installing security cameras at each building; improving lighting; maintaining a 24/7 security presence; enforcing parking restrictions; immediately repairing damages windows and doors; and other safety steps.
The complex had a shooting incident on Dec. 23, 2024 when officers responded to the complex for reports of gunshots and property damage, according to the Kent Police blotter. Bullet casings were found outside, and water damage occurred in multiple units due to a bullet striking a water line.
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