On Their Own?

Seniors sue to retain valet parking at Southfield apartment complex.

traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol GS.
The temporary restraining order
compelled North Park Towers to con-
tinue providing valetparking service
only for those tenants who were plain-
tiffs in the suit and were currently
using valet service. The other tenants
were on their own as of Aug. 15 and,
in a subsequent interview, Kroll said
many of them were having a difficult
time without the service.
Judge Schnelz will hold a hearing
Sept. 12 to determine whether the
temporary restraining order will be
extended or a preliminary injunction
shall be issued.

Concerns For Seniors

North Park Towers in Southfield

ALAN ABRAMS
Special to the Jewish News

n attorney representing 53
apartment residents of
Southfield's North Park
Towers is alleging age and
disability discrimination in the decision
by their landlord, the building's manage-
ment company and its owners to discon-
tinue valet parking services to residents.
The residents, many of whom are
Jewish senior citizens, were granted a
30-day temporary reprieve by
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge
Gene Schnelz on Aug. 15, the day the
valet service was to be discontinued at
the site, which is on North Park
Drive, south of Nine Mile, near
Northland Mall.
Ruth Driker Kroll, a resident of the
Towers for more than 20 years, said
that without the amenity of valet

8/24
2001

32

parking many of the building's older
and disabled tenants would have to
move to assisted living facilities.
The tenant's attorney, Thomas R.
Warnicke of Warnicke & Wigent,
PLLC of Keego Harbor, told the
Jewish News he believes the building's
owners are "discontinuing the valet
services for purposes of drawing in a
younger, more mobile clientele. The
way to target the elderly and disabled
is by way of their access" to the
building.
Warnicke also is a resident of North
Park Towers.
The defendants named in court doc-
uments filed by Warnicke on Aug. 10
are the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.;
Archon Residential Management Gen-
Par, Inc.; Archon Residential
Management Limited Partnership; and
W9/NPA-1 Real Estate Limited
Partnership d/b/a North Park Towers.

All are identified on the court docu-
ments as being Delaware corporations.
James Deline of the Detroit law firm
of Kerr, Russell & Weber, PLC, is rep-
resenting all the defendants. He would
not comment on the case and asked
the Jewish News to call Ron Barger in
the Irving, Texas, offices of Archon
Residential Management. Barger, who
said he holds no title with Archon,
said, It is our policy not to comment
while a case is in litigation." As of the
Jewish News' press time, the defendants
had not yet filed pleadings responsive
to the tenants' lawsuit.
However, the Web site for Archon
Residential Management states that
the Goldman Sachs Corporation
wholly owns the Archon Group of
companies. Goldman Sachs is the
New York-based global investment
banking and securities firm. Founded
by Marcus Goldman in 1869, it is

Nearly 50 senior citizen tenants, some
using canes and walkers, picketed the
apartment building in early August to
protest the cancellation of valet park-
ing, which had been offered since the
building opened 33 years ago.
Kroll, who is 76, said the parking
ramp turns are dangerous for seniors
to navigate. Published reports have
quoted other residents as saying they
feared for their security in the unpro-
tected parking area.
"The elderly and the disabled are
the most vulnerable segment of our
population. It is imperative that attor-
neys and the courts stand up to big
business in protecting them," said
attorney Warnicke.
The suit alleges numerous violation:
of the Michigan Consumer Protectior
Act by the defendants. It specifically
alleges that the actions of the defen-
dants have discriminated against the
plaintiffs and other tenants on the
basis of age and handicap "in violatioi
of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
and Michigan Handicapper's Act."
The average resident of the Towers
pays $1,000 in monthly rent.
Warnicke said the tenants have offere(
to pay more than the current additior
al $70 monthly fee for the service to
keep it operative.
Archon's Web site for North Park
Towers was no longer available for
browsing this week, but ads for the
building in local publications pub-
lished as recently as Aug. 7 still
include valet service as an amenity. C