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ST. LOUIS — Two decades ago, there was a lot of hope for residents of Cochran Gardens, the collection of 11 high-rise public housing buildings just north of the Dome at America’s Center known for broken elevators and crime. Millions of dollars in government and private investment were spent to demolish and transform the 15-acre area into affordable and attractive town houses and apartments.

Cambridge Heights Apartments was one of the new complexes built. Over the years, many residents have said they liked the amenities. They liked living closer to the ground.

Today, it’s hard to find residents left to talk up the place. Same for officials responsible for its success.

At a time when the region is slammed by a long waiting list of people in need of low-income housing, parking lots and patios sit vacant at Cambridge Heights. Plywood covers many windows. Bullet holes are easy to find in decorative brick and vinyl siding.

“All these apartments is dang-near empty,� said Jamie Wanda, 64, who has lived in a second-story unit in the 1400 block of North Ninth Street for 13 years. “No neighbors. Nobody can see what’s going on.�

Seated in the kitchen, she navigated a rolling chair across broken floor tiles between the sink and the stove, where she tended a skillet full of mushrooms and onions. A magnet on the refrigerator door read: “Expect a miracle.�

These days, she and others said, management is unresponsive.

“A lot of people moved because of that,� Wanda said. “They tell you a lot of lies.�

Another resident said property management firms have changed multiple times and that the latest one says it’s not responsible for repairing preexisting conditions.

The Youth and Family Center, a nonprofit that provides programming and recreational opportunities for children and adults, sits a block away from Cambridge Heights.

“They really don’t keep us informed on anything,� Vanita Washington, a family support advocate at the rec center, said of the apartment complex.

Carleton Living Property Management Services is the latest firm to run Cambridge Heights. On Wednesday and Friday, the property manager refused to speak onsite to the Post-Dispatch. She referred all questions to the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Housing Authority, which oversees public and subsidized housing, largely with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.

In a brief interview Friday morning at Housing Authority headquarters, Latasha Barnes, the new executive director of the agency, refused to talk about Cambridge Heights. She referred questions to Housing Authority spokeswoman Val Joyner, who was out of the office on Thursday and Friday and didn’t respond to phone calls or text messages.

On Oct. 24, at the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners monthly meeting, Barnes had reassured a resident who raised concerns about Cambridge Heights.

“We are concerned what will happen to us,� the resident told Barnes and the board during the online meeting, noting that only about 40 people are left at the large complex.

Barnes told the resident during the meeting that “we are aware of the concerns about Cambridge Heights� and that “there are some things in the works� to improve occupancy “so you can have neighbors again.�

“Thank you for sharing your concern,� added Sal Martinez, chairman of the board.

A host of entities supported by taxpayers have been involved with Cambridge Heights.

After the land was cleared to build Cambridge Heights, the Housing Authority leased it to Cochran Redevelopment. Kennedy Associates Architects Inc., of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, designed and built the complex. Executives from Carleton Residential Properties in Dallas helped Kennedy develop it. Some of the costs were financed by the sale of state and federal low-income housing tax credits granted by the Missouri Housing Development Commission. Cochran Redevelopment Phase I LP and Cochran Redevelopment Phase II LP own Cambridge Heights.

“I put together a team, and the team did a good job,� Michael E. Kennedy Sr., managing member of Cochran Redevelopment, told the Post-Dispatch in 2020. “The team delivered a quality product.�

At the time, a third of the 223 units were market rate, the rest were subsidized. There are 90 public housing units at Cambridge, according to Housing Authority records. On Oct. 1, 2023, 41 of the units were either vacant or “offline,� which means they’ve been approved for HUD “modernization status.� On Sept. 1, 2024, 46 of the units, or 51%, were still empty.

Kennedy couldn’t be reached for comment. Family said he’s recovering from surgery.

Emily Turner, a Dallas-based spokeswoman for Carleton Living, said late Friday that the firm has been managing Cambridge Heights since 2023.

“While we have made progress during this time, we know more is needed, which is why we are working with the City of ºüÀêÊÓƵ on financing to make property renovations,â€� Turner said in a prepared statement. “We have a plan and are working hard to get as many people placed as we can, but it takes time. Please know that our residents’ well-being is our top priority. While boarded-up windows can be an eyesore, they are a tactic to combat theft and vandalism.â€�

She said that all work orders are being addressed and that Carleton Living responds “to all resident requests in a timely manner.�

Several residents disagreed. Still, Patricia Simmons Robinson hopes her bedroom ceiling becomes a priority.

On Thursday, a bucket caught water dripping onto the floor. Her washer was broken, and the air filter needed to be changed.

She said a Cambridge Heights maintenance worker recently moved into a unit beside hers. She said he has two aggressive pit bulls that aren’t always on leashes. Her blind daughter also lives on the block.

“If I had the money, I would move,� said Robinson, 66.