MISSOURI CITY, Texas – After nearly two months without working elevators at a Missouri City senior living facility, the owner of Jubilee at Texas Parkway is now publicly accepting responsibility and says compensation is coming for residents affected by the extended outages.
Michael Gardner, CEO of Gardner Capital, visited the property for the first time Wednesday and met with city leaders. During that meeting, he pledged to offer financial compensation to tenants who endured weeks without safe and reliable elevator access.
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“Everyone should have an elevator. It should not be a problem, period, end of story,” Gardner said. “We will absolutely be providing some compensation to the tenants that are affected. It’s the least we can do.”
Gardner however didn’t explain what compensation would look like but said there would be further talks with city leaders.
The elevator issues began in early May, when the only working lift at Jubilee went down. Many residents, some with mobility challenges, were left stranded in their apartments for days or had to rely on neighbors to navigate the stairs. The outage triggered a wave of complaints, which reached the desks of city officials, housing authorities and even Congressman Al Green, who visited the complex in June after seeing KPRC 2’s reports.
KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun met with Tamika Harrison Parker in May after alerting 2 Helps You to the outage. From there, residents like Myrtle Welcome continued to speak out, demanding accountability and better conditions.
“We’re fighting for everybody, not just this apartment complex,” Welcome said.
Just hours ahead of a key compliance deadline set by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), one of the two elevator bays was repaired and returned to service. According to a TDHCA spokesperson, the agency had warned that Gardner Capital risked losing valuable tax subsidies or being barred from future housing projects if both elevators weren’t fixed.
“Staff have been told one elevator is operational,” a spokesperson told KPRC 2. “However, due to the second elevator still being inoperable, TDHCA compliance staff will refer the issue of noncompliance to the agency’s Enforcement Committee for action. The owner could face fines and/or possible debarment measures.”
Gardner, who admitted Wednesday was his first visit to the property in its four years of operation, told Balogun the delays and mismanagement ultimately fall on him.
“It’s really hard to say [why it happened]. I think a lot of people would give a lot of reasons,” Gardner said. “But ultimately, it’s my responsibility. I need to make sure the relevant groups are in place to make this happen, and we should have gotten it done.”
Missouri City Council Member Jeffrey L. Boney thanked Gardner for meeting with concerned residents and local leaders but stressed the need for accountability.
“This is not just lip service,” Boney said. “We’re going to be holding him accountable moving forward and we expect commitments in writing.”
Asset Living, the property management company overseeing Jubilee, confirmed in a statement that as of July 1, one elevator had been restored to full operation and said they’re working closely with technicians to finish remaining repairs.
Still, some residents remain skeptical.
“It feels good,” said resident Carolyn Harrison, referring to the elevator finally working again. “I just pray that it continues to work.”
Gardner said he plans on meeting with residents in the coming weeks to hear their concerns.
