Water Shut Off At Large Buffalo Apartment Complex For Non-payment

What started out as a new multi-million-dollar affordable housing complex with big hopes of taking steps to help Buffalo's low- and moderate-income population achieve stability has turned into a sort of nightmare for nearly 200 families as mounting complaints have come to a head in Buffalo's Willert Park Neighborhood.

The Forge, a 195,000-square-foot housing development with 158 apartments in Buffalo, was built on the site of the former Buffalo Forge Manufacturing Plant and brought with it tons of needed affordable housing units. The complex sits on a more than 1.4-acre site in one of Buffalo's oldest neighborhoods and brought with it some much-needed development to the area.

However, it seems that over the last few months, residents of the complex have been complaining of mounting issues with management and maintenance. Things like water and sewage leaks, rodents and insects, lack of trash pickup, plus broken elevators have had residents in stir for a while, but those issues really came to light today as tenants inside the apartment building woke up to a major surprise when they went to turn on their faucets or flush thier toilets.

According to multiple posts on social media from residents in a panic, it became known that the complex had allegedly not been paying its water bill and the service was shut off by the Buffalo Water Authority.

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According to a bright colored notice posted on the doors of the building, the water service to the complex was shut off due to non-payment.

The water was off for several hours until additional social media posts showed a letter purported to be from complex management stating that the bill was paid and that water service would be restored.

While calls to the management of the complex for comments have not yet been returned, it's clear something needs to be done, as the issues being brought to light are very troubling.