After Gramercy at Buckhead, which has been the target of complaints about its deplorable living conditions, overflowing dumpsters, and appliances strewn about the property, was the subject of a viral video, spurring the management to apologize and promise to remedy the problems.
But according to Rachael Lancieri, the conditions at the complex, which advertises itself as luxury living with rents running from $1,000 to more than $3,000 a month, are still horrible. A mid-July incident was the last straw.
Lancieri, who has been living at the Roswell Road-area apartments since last February, said that after witnessing an armed man running in front of the complex on July 12, she now fears for her life. Apartment management, she said, has been deaf to her concerns.
“I was driving into the garage and saw a man with a gun jump out of a white SUV and run past the leasing office,” she said. “He was watching the SUV. I saw him, and he saw me.”
Lancieri said she pulled into an apartment across the street on Roswell Road, and then heard six gunshots.
According to a police report about the incident obtained by Rough Draft, Atlanta Police Department Officer O. Nixon responded to a 911 call from Lancieri around 8 p.m. at the complex.
“She stated that an unknown man wearing a red hoodie carrying a black handgun hopped out of the SUV and walked toward the leasing office,” the report said.
The officer said that another 911 caller who lives at 3300 Roswell Road stated she also heard gunshots coming from outside her bedroom around 5:19 p.m.
“… one of the gunshots entered through her bedroom window and into her bedroom wall,” the report said.
Nixon said that during his investigation, he was flagged down by a third resident who told him that she also heard gunshots and found that her window was damaged by the gunfire, with a bullet embedded in her wall.
Nixon retrieved the bullet from the bedroom of the second witness and found five shell casings on Roswell Road in the area where the incident was reported.
The officer, in a supplemental report, said he talked to a leasing office employee, identified as Caleb Holloway, who said two residents visited the office to report that they believed the shooter lives in the apartment complex.
“The residents were afraid to give the shooter’s name because they are scared of retaliation,” the report said. “Mr. Holloway also stated he cannot give out the lease name for [the unit] because of policy reasons.”
Lancieri said she was told by an assistant property manager that the incident was not captured on video because all the cameras throughout the complex were inoperable. The incident report does not indicate whether security footage was obtained.
Rough Draft reached out to representatives from Greystar, the apartment management company, to inquire about the status of the security cameras and whether or not footage from the July 12 incident was turned over to the police. As of Aug. 11, a response has not been received.
‘That was the cherry on the top’
Lancieri said the shooting incident was the final straw for her. She had spent months complaining about the trash overflowing in the common areas, the proliferation of algae in the pool, broken fitness equipment, and abandoned appliances.
On July 15, an Instagram video posted by atlscoop featured footage of an algae-filled community pool and trash bags in the parking lot, around the dumpsters, and throughout the apartment community.
A day after the atlscoop post, reported by Rough Draft and other media outlets, the owners sent out an apology and released a video revealing the grounds had been cleared of debris.
However, Lancieri said that statement is false. Appliances are still abandoned around the area, keypads for security doors are inoperable, and trash litters the garage. She supplied Rough Draft with videos and pictures showing unsecured doors, broken fitness equipment, and other deficiencies (pictured above).
In addition, Lancieri said she found in April that a replacement credit card she never received was used to fraudulently purchase $500 in merchandise at two Kroger stores, at a Walmart store in Marietta, and at another merchant called CBSR.
A police report obtained by Rough Draft Atlanta, contained a narrative by Lancieri that said she was informed by an on-site United States Postal Service mail carrier that the frame around the mailboxes had been broken, and that the individual boxes could not be locked.
She further stated in the report that an on-site leasing agent named Darius told her that a quote to repair the mailbox totaled $30,000 and had not been fixed because of the cost.
Atlanta Police Officer A. Polite said he visited the mailbox area and “was concerned at zero cameras in the mail area and parking garage,” according to the narrative.
“While the officer and I were speaking, another tenant with a mailbox in the same section said he had not received a $3,000 check mailed to him weeks ago,” the narrative said.
Lancieri told Rough Draft she emailed Greystone management representatives multiple times about the broken mailboxes, pleading with them to either remedy the problem or provide residents with alternative solutions.
According to an email obtained by Rough Draft, it wasn’t until June 30 that Gramercy management sent an email informing residents that “due to pending repair and/or replacement of the community mail kiosks, mail service for affected mailboxes will be temporarily relocated to the Pharr Rd USPS location.”
Lancieri told Rough Draft that the mailboxes, as of Aug. 10, are still in a state of disrepair.
‘I just want them to do the right thing’
Lancieri put in a notice to terminate her lease on July 13, after the shooting incident. She asked that August’s rent be waived, considering she feared for her safety. However, three weeks went by with no response from management.
“I thought that was fair and the right thing to do,” she said. “But on Tuesday [Aug. 4], I was told verbally that my termination request [to waive August rent] was denied.”
She woke up Aug. 8 to a sign on her door stating that she owed her August rent with penalties totaling almost $1,800, or had three business days to vacate the premises.
“Should you fail to pay the amount due within 3 business days, you are demanded and directed to vacate the unit,” the letter said. “Should you fail to vacate the unit, we will submit this matter to our attorneys for the preparation and filing of a dispossessory action.”
Non-plussed, she posted on TikTok a video of the notice surrounded by dozens of pieces of correspondence that she allegedly sent to the property management company that have gone unanswered. It has been viewed more than 37,000 times.
“I’m not backing down – wrong is wrong,” she said in the video.
Lancieri is not alone in her complaints about the Gramercy. The ApartmentRating website for Gramercy is filled with negative reviews, with residents citing broken air conditioning units, filthy conditions, pet waste in common areas, roaches, broken security cameras, and an unresponsive maintenance and management team.
Lancieri told Rough Draft that she paid her rent in full on Aug. 11 to avoid immediate eviction, and has plans to move to a new apartment on Aug. 25. She said she will pursue legal action.
“I’ve dealt with this day in and day out for so long,” she said. “It’s not about financial compensation. Greystar and Gramercy need to be held accountable for what they have done to the tenants.”
Rough Draft contacted Jordan Gentry with Greystar management with a list of questions about the allegations made by Lancieri and other tenants, but has not received a response. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
