Once-troubled Winton apartments see revamp

Just a few short months ago, the Olive Tree Apartments on California Street were in a state of complete disrepair.

Copper wires hung out of the ceiling, gaping holes covered the walls and an avalanche of garbage and furniture was scattered around. To make matters worse, the water was shut off in May after the apartment owners failed to pay the bill, forcing families in 11 units to vacate immediately.

Today, the 42-unit apartment complex has changed its name to Sunrise Apartments and begun its complete transformation. Eight units have been rehabilitated with new tile floors, granite countertops and new appliances. The remaining units will be remodeled within the next few months.

Officials in May estimated the apartment owners owed the Winton Water & Sanitary District more than $10,000 for a delinquent water bill. Atwater Mayor Pro Tem Craig Mooneyham was identified by a Bay Area real estate investor as a co-owner, though he vehemently denied any connection to the apartments.

The property went into foreclosure and was scheduled for sale in May for a little more than $1 million. The complex was purchased by Rajinder Sharma, a Fremont real estate investor, who began the reconstruction process. Sharma called on his friend Renee Davenport to help coordinate the repairs.

Using local vendors and the help of at-risk teenagers in the neighborhood, the apartments were slowly fixed up, in what Davenport called a “rags-to-riches” story with a happy ending. Davenport said the teens were paid $10 an hour to work on the apartments.

Three tenants have signed leases to move into the renovated apartments in January, Davenport said Friday. The rent is $500 for the one-bedroom units, but will include services such as an on-site property manager and maintenance man. Sharma also plans to install a security gate and eight cameras to add protection to the neighborhood.

Sharma, who Davenport said also rehabilitated some damaged apartments in Sacramento, visits the Winton complex weekly. She said he also paid the hefty overdue water bill.

An Oct. 24 letter from Merced County’s Environmental Health Division gave clearance for the building to be inhabited, saying it now meets the minimum standards of the California Health and Safety Code. Davenport said she’s confident the apartments won’t fall back into disrepair.

“A lot of people have a bad perception of out-of-town owners, but these guys really want to improve the neighborhood,” she said. “They’ve invested a huge amount of money into renovating the units. It’s not going to happen again – I can guarantee that.”

Davenport, who plans to stay on board after the renovation to oversee the property manager, said prospective tenants are “carefully screened” and their rental history and finances are checked.

Merced County District 4 Supervisor Deidre Kelsey, whose district includes Winton, said the rehabilitated apartments will improve living conditions in the neighborhood. She said fixing up the complex is a “much appreciated” investment in the community.

“I’m looking forward to families being able to move into there and live happy and safe lives,” Kelsey said. “With the renovation of the units and the repairs that were done, I think we’ll have a different group of people who will move in there and care about the neighborhood.”

Susan Bouscaren, committee member of the local Tenants Together, a statewide tenants rights organization, said the Winton apartments should have been cleaned up a long time ago. Her group helped displaced residents find other living arrangements.

“These guys were absolutely slumlords and they let it go for years,” Bouscaren said. “It was mostly due to lack of maintenance and people just gave up. But the property is still worth money; all they had to do was put a little time and TLC into it. It’s going to pay off in the end.”

This story was originally published December 7, 2014 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Once-troubled Winton apartments see revamp."