Fayetteville working on deal with nuisance apartment complex

Fayetteville sued Gastonia-based Southwood Realty last month, alleging that the company wasn't doing enough to keep crime in check at the complex, at 301 Barcelona Drive.

The tentative agreement, which still must be approved by a judge to dispose of the nuisance complaint, calls for the complex managers to conduct background checks on all tenants, issue tenants parking passes and implement other security upgrades.

The city allowed a preliminary injunction preventing any new leases at Cambridge Arms to expire on Monday. The injunction had been in place for two weeks.

In the last five years, at least three homicides have been reported at the 700-unit complex, as have countless burglaries, armed robberies, assaults, domestic disputes, drug deals and reports of gunfire.

The nuisance suit could have allowed Fayetteville to seize control of the Cambridge Arms, but city officials said they just wanted to get the owner to do a better job of preventing crime in the complex.