News

Alpine Woods timeline

By Bill Moss, Published: June 19, 2015

Alpine Woods timeline

January 14, 2014: Sheriff Charlie McDonald notifies Alpine Woods owner Warren Newell that he is operating a public nuisance and could be subject to court-ordered closure or forfeiture of the property.

February 2015: Lows in single digits cause widespread water pipe breakages, leaving many residents without running water for weeks.

March 31: Hendersonville City Manager John Connet spearheads a meeting of more than a dozen local government departments and nonprofit agencies to discuss ways to address problems at the 80-unit park.

March 31: After a hearing, city Code Enforcement Officer Susan Frady issues condemnation orders for eight units.

April 14: Pisgah Legal Services Attorney Tom Gallagher files a complaint in District Court on behalf of tenant Annie Foster and other tenants alleging that the park had allowed a multitude of local and state housing code violations and committed “unfair or deceptive acts” in renting substandard homes. Gallagher later replaces the lawsuit with a complaint in small claims court that he says would have a better chance at a positive outcome for the tenants.

April 28: The city, county and district attorney file a lawsuit in Civil Superior Court asking a judge to declare Alpine Woods a public nuisance. City and county attorneys said they hoped the judge would seize control of the property and turn it over a special master to direct repairs and evict repeat criminal offenders.

May 11: Superior Court Judge J. Thomas “Tommy” Davis refuses to grant the city-county request, saying that owner Warren Newell needed more time to get an attorney.

May 27: Newell’s attorney, James W. Lee III, files counterclaims to the city-county lawsuit. He asks a judge to throw out the complaint on jurisdictional and other grounds and further asks the judge to toss all the supporting affidavits.

June 8: City, county and district attorney agree to drop the complaint against Alpine Woods in exchange for Newell’s written promise to cooperate in evicting and barring felons and others known to have caused “breaches of the peace.” A sheriff’s spokesman later says investigators and probation and parole officers had identified 40 such “barred persons.”

June 16: Seven tenants agree to drop small claims complaints against Alpine Woods in exchange for Newell’s agreement to make repairs to the homes, utility lines and roads.