Gramercy at Buckhead residents report ongoing issues

Residents are still concerned about ongoing sanitation issues at a Buckhead apartment complex, touted as the “pinnacle of sophisticated living,” days after owners cleared dozens of bags of overflowing trash and abandoned furniture from the grounds at Gramercy at Buckhead.

Residents say the viral video that revealed the unkempt grounds and untreated pool only shows a fraction of the maintenance problems at the luxury apartment community.

On July 15, an Instagram video posted by atlscoop featured footage of an algae-filled community pool and a litany of trash bags in the parking lot, around the dumpsters and throughout the apartment community, which is located on Roswell Road near Sandy Springs.

A day after the video post, which was viewed more than 920,000 times, the owners sent out an apology and released a video revealing the grounds had been cleared of debris.

Despite that action, Gramercy resident Brian Philson said the damaging video does not show the ongoing issues that have existed for nearly two years, such as trash and spider webs festering in the hallways and stairwells, and unrepaired gates and elevators.

“It’s essentially just putting lipstick on a pig, to be honest with you,” Philson told Rough Draft Atlanta. “It’s nice they cleaned up the trash and the trash chute, but where were these people for years as the residents had been complaining? The pool still has algae in it, and we’re hearing that the entire maintenance staff quit.”

Philson and his roommate, Roosevelt Collier, pay more than $2,000 a month for their two-bedroom apartment. In recent months, they’ve noticed residents are moving out en masse while the promoted apartment rental rates pale in comparison to theirs.

“I think at this point, they’re attempting to make changes because of the overwhelming Google reviews and residents moving out at an alarming rate,” Philson said. “They’ve never kept up this property like they do their others. This doesn’t give, you know, high-class luxury at all.”

Owners of the complex, Greystar, noted as the largest apartment manager and owner in the U.S., issued a statement about conditions at Gramercy, but declined to comment about how long the trash and pool had been unkempt.

“Addressing these issues has been a priority for our team. The trash has been removed, and we expect the pools to be operational this week. We are committed to resolving these matters as quickly as possible and appreciate our residents’ patience as we complete this work,” read the statement.

Collier emailed Greystar in April about the trash and gate issues, but he did not get a response or see any changes until last week. Collier has been a resident at Gramercy since 2022.

“There appears to be an issue with trash management, particularly with waste being left in the parking deck,” Collier’s email reads. “Until recently, I had never encountered rodents on the property; however, this evening I observed two rodents in the parking garage feeding on exposed trash. This raises serious concerns regarding cleanliness, health standards, and overall property upkeep.”

Philson issued a complaint to the City of Atlanta’s Code Enforcement on July 15, and an officer is now assigned to investigate the issues. Both Philson and Collier plan to move out in August, but they are hopeful the social media attention and code enforcement complaints may make a difference for the residents who remain at Gramercy.

“We still don’t have any communication as far as the pool,” Philson said. “I think if they would’ve been more responsive, held some community meetings like complexes normally do, that would’ve helped…I’m thankful to whoever sent that video out. It’s disheartening that leadership didn’t do anything until we were on the news.”

Rough Draft has reached out to the city and the assigned code enforcement officer and will update the story as more information is received.