Owners of Milwaukee’s SoHi Lofts, deemed unfit for human habitation, speak out

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's been almost a week since over a dozen tenants were evacuated from SoHi Lofts, near 27th and Wells, after the building was deemed unsafe by the Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS). On Tuesday, owners of the lofts spoke with the city to address those violations.

Brinshore Development, owners of SoHi Lofts, met with the city after 16 units of that building were vacated last week. Those tenants were relocated to a Glendale hotel.

The tenants received a placard order on Sept. 6 after the Department of Neighborhood Services claim they provided those tenants with an emergency repair order on Sept. 1.

According to DNS, they found the building "unfit for human habitation" after receiving a concerning call.

"Aug. 31 is when we got the first call that the steps had actually collapsed and gave way and that the property management had actually blocked off the stairwells to the rear exiting of the building," said a spokesperson from DNS.

They said they alerted the property but never received a plan to fix the problem. DNS said they've heard concerns over structural safety since 2021. They claim they've been on the property about 20-30 times since then.

Richard Sciortino of Brinshore Development said he was surprised to hear about the condition of the building.

"Until Friday, like you, I was under the impression that the stairs were safe. I was aware of the situation that they needed repair. We have never gotten an inspection or report that the stairs were hazardous," said Sciortino.

Sciortino said they have plans to demolish and repair the stairs. Those permits will be submitted to the city this week.

"We are a national developer; we have built 12,000 units across the United States. This is a real black eye for us," said Sciortino.

He adds that they will help pay for tenant accommodations, break leases, and return September rent.