Springfield city officials are trying to decide what to do about an apartment complex on School Avenue that used to be a convenience store, but now faces a slew of building code violations.

At first glance, Superior Family Mart looks like your average corner store, but a closer look tells a different story. Several families now live in the one-time convenience store, but Springfield code enforcement officials are concerned the living conditions pose dangers to those families. Code enforcement officer Lee Penton says the apartments are unsafe and not up to code.

“We went down there and looked at it and found a lot of violations, a lot of things wrong” said Lee Penton, Springfield Code Enforcement.

Some of the units do not have windows, no adequate stove or any immediate escape routes in case of a fire.

“There is no means of egress in five of the apartments. They don’t have a window in the bedroom, there’s only one way in, and one way out, and if a fire broke out there’s so many little kids, that could not get out” said Penton.

Penton says he has tried to work with the owner, Tommy Nguyen, but has not heard from him in months, but Nguyen says he doesn’t have the money to bring the apartments up to code.
Linda Bottoms is shopping around for an affordable apartment complex and she came across the units in Springfield being sought after by code enforcement.

“The ad said apartments for rent and it said for $130 dollars a week, and that’s it, it gave a phone number and nothing else” said Linda Bottoms.
When Bottoms learned of the slew of building code violations and safety hazards of the Springfield apartment complex, she quickly changed her mind saying “it makes me back off.”

Springfield and county officials are expected to meet later this week to find a way to safely get these residents out of the building, until repairs are made.