Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Attorney General Peter Nickles today announced the resolution of a longstanding dispute between tenants of the 672-unit Marbury Plaza apartment complex on the 2300 block of Good Hope Road, SE and property managers Urban Investment Partners (UIP). A triumph for Marbury residents, the settlement will end a two-year rent strike by many members of the Marbury Plaza Concerned Tenants Association and will allow UIP Property Management (UIPPM) to spend an approximate $5 million in capital investment funding to rehabilitate the ailing structure. Attorney General Nickles worked with Chief Tenant Advocate Johanna Shreve and Chief Building Officer Don Masoero in helping all parties formulate a solution.

“It is imperative that District residents have access to safe, comfortable and affordable housing,” said Mayor Fenty. “This hard-earned investment in Marbury Plaza will vastly improve the lives of hundreds of families in Ward 7.”

Marbury Plaza residents have endured poor living conditions for more than a decade, from problems with the heating and cooling systems to other housing code violations. The two towers and seven garden-style apartment buildings will receive all new windows and improvements, upgrades and replacements to their heating, air conditioning, hot water systems, roof systems and camera and access control systems.

“This settlement will end years of strife for the people of Marbury Plaza,” said Attorney General Nickles. “I am glad that we were able to work with the property managers to negotiate a settlement that brings justice to the Tenants Association and the people they represent.”

UIPPM worked with the building owner A&A Marbury, LLC to obtain the $5 million improvement fund that could only be used if UIP resolved their disputes with the tenants.