The Auburn Tenant Union held its first meeting Monday night for residents of Lemans Square and Chateau apartments, two low-rent Auburn complexes that are set to be torn down and redeveloped. City officials are still looking for ways to help residents who will have to move, The Auburn Villager reported.
At last week’s council meeting, Mayor Ron Anders said he and city staff had met with local affordable-housing developer Fred Bennett, founder of Bennett & Company, about the city possibly partnering on new affordable housing. “Those were early discussions. There were no conclusions drawn,” Anders said. He also said he and Councilman Max Coblentz had met with a local property manager, and that he hopes other managers will look at where they have vacancies once students sign next year’s leases.
Council members Bob Parsons, Connie Fitch Taylor and Mayor Pro Tem Beth Witten attended Monday night’s tenant union meeting. Joe Davis of Auburn United Methodist Church described the church’s Good News Rapid Re-Housing program, which helps people who are homeless or at risk of losing housing within 14 days and will spend $35,000 in city money over the next fiscal year. Davis called it “a backstop, not my first plan.”
One Lemans resident said she was scared when she got the redevelopment notice: “Where am I going to go? There’s nowhere for me to go!” She also pointed out that only three tenants came to the meeting. Tenant union founder Zandra Davis urged residents who need help to come forward.
Both complexes date to 1973 and have been some of Auburn’s few affordable rentals. ODN has covered the issue since late August, including a council meeting earlier this month that ended abruptly amid anger over the redevelopment.
Source: The Auburn Villager
Opelika Daily News — Friday Report, Sept. 25, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
