Cockroaches in 12 apartments, fruit flies in two more, a urine odor in another, a sink with no cold water, a leaky shower, and a hole in a bathroom wall. That's what Palo Alto Code Enforcement Officer Craig Hartley found when he re-inspected the Opportunity Center at 33 Encina Ave. in June, according to a new notice of violation issued Monday, July 6.

The 88-unit affordable housing building near the Town and Country Shopping Center now faces $1,000-per-day fines if Abode Housing, the nonprofit operator, doesn't fix the plumbing problems by July 27 and eliminate the pest infestations by Aug. 5, Hartley said.

It's the second code enforcement action at the building in three months.

How it got here

The city first received a complaint about conditions at the Opportunity Center in October 2025, according to Code Enforcement Supervisor Elisa Vargas. After months of inspections, the city issued its first notice of violation on April 28, citing mold and water damage in 20 units and hallways on the second through fourth floors, according to Palo Alto Online. All 20 units also had unpermitted repair work.

Abode appealed that notice. In a statement at the time, spokesperson Chris De Benedetti said the April notice "listed a number of unsubstantiated claims and listed some units that, in fact, have not been affected."

The appeal triggered Hartley's re-inspections on June 4 and June 10 which uncovered the pest and plumbing problems documented in the July 6 notice.

Abode's response

Abode Housing CEO Vivian Wan told the Daily Post in an interview published July 15 that the nonprofit is nearly finished with plumbing repairs and still working on pest control. She said some pest control companies have declined the work because tenants have resisted treatment.

"I'm confident that we'll correct all the issues … We want to do right by the tenants," Wan said.

Hartley's notice requires that a licensed pest control operator attempt to treat each affected unit and that any tenant refusal be documented.

Tenant complaints preceded enforcement

Tenant Becky Wolf told Palo Alto Online in May that mold and water intrusion in her unit made her and other residents sick. After she copied city officials on emails with Abode about the conditions, Abode issued her an eviction notice, she said. Wolf said the only alternative unit she was offered also had mold.

Her current housing status is unclear.

Public money, public accountability

The Opportunity Center opened in 2006, developed by Community Working Group in partnership with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara. Roughly 60% of construction costs came from public funds; the rest came from donors. Tenants pay rent based on income.

Abode took over management after forming a strategic alliance with CWG in 2017. LifeMoves operates a drop-in services center on the first floor.

If Abode misses the Aug. 5 deadline, fines of $1,000 per day begin accruing.