City leaders send second summons for nuisance violations to Ely Walker Board Members

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Break-ins, unwanted parties, and a homicide are all problems plaguing Ely Walker Lofts in Downtown West. On Tuesday, St. Louis City Leaders stopped the loft’s developer, Lux Living, from building another multi-family-use complex in Forest Park Southeast. Now, those same developers are headed back to city litigators this month for nuisance violations.

“Don’t let them get in your county, don’t let them get to your city, because they will destroy it,” Tyler Calhoun said.

Calhoun’s been an Ely Walker resident for years. He’s warning other Metro-wide apartment renters about STL CityWide, also known as Lux Living. Both companies are run by brothers Sid Chakraverty and Victor Alston. They also control Ely Walker’s Condominium Board and have been given a second summons by city attorneys for nuisance violations in November.

“I think their time is quickly coming up and catching onto them finally,” Calhoun said.

The board got its first nuisance violation in August. City attorneys later agreed on a consent order, foregoing the hearing and forcing the board to implement better safety measures for residents.

“The things they did do were done very poorly and honestly, last minute, a lot of it,” Calhoun explained.

The second nuisance hearing was posted just before Thanksgiving. Residents said they’re hoping for a better outcome this time around.

“I would love to see a hearing. I would love to be a witness so I could tell them in person, to their faces, the negligence that’s been going on here,” Calhoun added.

News 4 has previously talked with several Ely Walker residents. Many of them now said they’re receiving retaliation from management and are scared to do interviews again. News 4 asked a local attorney on how to help renters avoid troublesome situations when leasing homes or apartments.

“I don’t ever want people to think, ‘Oh, I can never afford an attorney’ and just not look. You may be able to afford some amount of advice that will get you to a better place,” Erika Wentzel said.

Wentzel’s a partner at Flesner Wentzel Law in St. Charles. She specializes in family and consumer law and said they’re always willing to help tenants.

“We do a self-help consultation where we have a small fee, and they call, and we have a half-hour or an hour, and I go ‘here are the rules, this is what you can do for yourself to arm yourself for this situation,’” Wentzel explained.

Wentzel said it’s crucial to check Google reviews, but to take those with a grain of salt. If there are outliers, you should note those. She also recommended to go physically look at the unit you plan to rent. In addition, Wentzel said to check online for occupancy permits. In Missouri, it’s required by code to have a re-occupancy inspection before every new tenant moves in. Wentzel said you can also check the attorney general’s office for past complaints on the property or landlord. Lastly, check your landlord on Casenet, Missouri’s legal tracking system.

“I want tenants to know that there are people that will help them with these things. I understand that it’s difficult to find those people and that there are a lot of tenants and few of those people that are doing that, but it’s something that happens and there are resources out there,” Wentzel added.

News 4 reached out to Ely Walker Condo Board’s attorney, Elias Ellis, who said they have no comment regarding the new nuisance violation. News 4 also asked the St. Louis City Counselor’s Office for comment. No one was available to speak on this before the hearing. The nuisance hearing for Ely Walker’s board members is December 15.

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