Zappala hits Palisades Plaza housing complex in Rankin with nuisance charges

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Friday filed nuisance charges against a Rankin public housing complex, listing complaints like backed-up sewage, broken windows and mold.

The charges involving Palisades Plaza are similar to ones lodged against West Mifflin’s Mon View Heights in September.

Both complexes were managed by the same company, Winn Residential, a national property management group.

Palisades Plaza has eight buildings and approximately 200 residents. According to county tax records, the property was purchased by Palisades Apartments LLC on Dec. 12, 2022, for $3.3 million.

Messages left with Palisades Plaza went unreturned Friday afternoon.

Winn Residential issued a statement Saturday, saying it began managing Palisades Plaza on Aug. 1. The company completed an assessment of the property and “tried to convince the owners to address and fix the immediate, real problems that residents faced,” said spokesman Ed Cafasso. When it became clear the owners were not interested in fixing the problems, the company began the process of ending its contract with Palisades Plaza. Winn severed ties with Palisades on Jan. 31, Cafasso said.

According to a criminal complaint, U.S. Housing and Urban Development was on site for an inspection from Dec. 11 to 13. The complex scored zero out of a possible 100 points.

In mid-February, the DA’s office began investigating and found that the complex was the subject of 296 calls in 2024, including 25 domestic disputes, four reports of shots fired and multiple overdoses.

Officer Chris Mosesso of the Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department, which patrols the property, said he’s seen broken windows with glass on the ground and puddles of raw sewage.

Some buildings had doors that did not properly close, and others had interior lights that didn’t work.

Several front doors, the officer reported, were propped open with rocks and bricks.

As part of the investigation, detectives spoke with Maureen Cassley, the managing supervisor at the Palisades who served in the same role at Mon View Heights.

She said Winn Residential took over management of Palisades Plaza on Aug. 1. At that time, the company found a high volume of unpaid rents, which limited funding for operations.

There was a high vacancy rate, unpaid utilities, standing water, bedbugs, roaches, mice and trash, multiple heating unit failures and no landscaping or snow removal, she said.

According to the court document, there are four open cases with the Allegheny County Health Department involving the Palisades, including a child with elevated lead levels, sewage backups, cracks in the ceiling and mold in a bathroom, bedroom and living room.

As part of the criminal complaint, investigators also included a statement by Rankin’s tax collector, Carl Lewis, who runs a business across the street from Palisades. Lewis said that the property is in deplorable condition and known to be a hideout for criminals.

“It is obvious to me that this property is unfit for human habitation,” Lewis complained, according to police.