Photo courtesy of the Revere Assessors Department
The Revere Board of Health voted to condemn an oceanfront high-rise with a history of fire, health and building code violations.
“The tenants are living in a moldy, rat-infested high-rise building with no fire alarms and fire sprinklers that do not work,” said Paul Tellier, an attorney at D’Ambrosio LLP in Boston, at the board’s meeting Thursday.
The 13-story Water’s Edge tower at 364 Ocean Ave. was built in 1986, and has been plagued with code violations since 2017, said Tellier, who represents the Revere Health Department in the case.
The owners, Carabetta Companies of Meriden, Connecticut, have failed to comply with orders to address the violations, Tellier said.
“Based upon the code violations and the continued neglect for the residents, I feel the condemnation is the only option to make a change happen,” Health Board Chair Dr. Drew Bunker said before the board voted unanimously in favor of condemnation.
The order requires the owners to provide alternative housing for the approximately 41 residents still living in the building. Officials didn’t provide details on the potential timeline or procedure for relocation of tenants.
Some residents urged the board to hold off on the decision, and asked for additional details on the potential timing of evictions.
David Frye, an attorney representing ownership, questioned the board’s power to order the condemnation, stating that a 45-day window since the service of the orders to correct violations had expired.
“If the city’s concern is about what floor residents are, there may be a way we can move people to a different floor. We’re fine with that,” Frye said. “What we don’t want is condemnation to occur.”
During Thursday’s hearing, officials from the fire, health and building departments listed a series of violations that have not been addressed by ownership.
A fire pump that provides water pressure above the sixth floor is malfunctioning, endangering safety of residents on the upper levels, Tellier said. Portions of walls and ceilings are cracked, and the building has mold and rodent infestation, he said.
A 2022 order to correct has been ignored by company management. In 2023, the state Fire Prevention Regulations Appeals Board rejected the company’s request to repair, rather than replace, the fire panel, Tellier said. A 24-hour fire watch by Revere firefighters was enacted at the time, but the owners have stopped payments for the service, he said.
In July, the city became aware that two contractors that had been hired by the owners to perform remediation had filed liens against the properties, Tellier added.
A message with Carabetta Property Management was not immediately returned.
