12 Oct 16th-Oct 22nd, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | but the apartment has turned a blind eye to the rampant problems on the property. During a recent visit to the complex, New Times saw dogs roaming the property, a mud-filled pool and only a few security cameras. There were alcohol containers in the parking lot. “Law enforcement personnel also observed a stark absence of preventative measures that are commonly implemented by comparable apartment complexes to deter criminal activity, protect residents, and safeguard the surrounding community,” the suit says. A history of lawsuits This isn’t the first time a government entity has sued over the Buenas Riverview apartments. Until last month, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office was also in litigation against Brookview Apartment Enterprise over the complex. The county attorney’s concerns were very similar to Mesa’s, citing the sheer number of arrests and calls for service and the poor conditions at the prop- erty. Its complaint noted exposed electrical wire, empty fire extinguishers, circuit breaker issues and stagnant pool water at Buenas Riverview. In its complaint, the county attorney’s office said Brookview “made the premises indecent, disgraceful, and intolerable.” Atop that complaint, Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Peter Spaw listed lyrics from “Master of the House,” a number from the Broadway musical “Les Misérables” that’s sung by two low-rent innkeepers who rob their patrons: “Master of the house, keeper of the zoo. Ready to relieve them of a sou or two. Watering the wine, making up the weight. Pickin’ up their knick-knacks when they can’t see straight. Everybody loves a land- lord. Everybody’s bosom friend. I do what- ever pleases Jesus! Won’t I bleed ‘em in the end!” Last month, however, the county attorney settled with Brookview and agreed to dismiss its suit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. New Times has requested the terms of that settlement but has not yet received them. That settlement is at the crux of Brookview’s defense in the suit brought by Mesa. The attorney for the apartment complex, Jordan Wolff, has asked the judge to toss Mesa’s complaint because the complex and the county attorney have already settled over the same issues. In a court filing, Wolff claimed that the county and city are unable to both sue for the same reason when a case is dismissed with prejudice. “This case is déjà vu,” Wolff wrote. “It is not a novel action but a second attempt to prosecute Brookview Apartments for the very same alleged ‘criminal nuisance’ that Maricopa County already pursued, litigated, and dismissed with prejudice.” Wolff did not respond to New Times’ requests for comment. In a response to Wolff’s motion filed earlier this month, Mesa noted that the city and county are separate entities that have no control over each other’s litigation. Mesa was not a party to the suit that the county attorney settled, and a court never ruled on the merits of the case anyway. Notably, the city is suing for a violation of residential nuisance law, while the county attorney sued over commercial nuisance law. No ruling has been issued on the motion to dismiss. The county attorney’s case may have settled, but Chiang still faces litigation over a different property of hers. (Chiang has a lot of them, apparently. She is listed in state records as the owner of about 50 other LLCs.) In the summer of 2024, Chiang’s Buenas Communities LLC made headlines after it allegedly left residents at its Buenas on 32nd apartments without working air conditioning for nearly two months. Residents told New Times it was “like living in an oven,” and at least one resident was hospitalized. The complex had also received 105 code violations from the city of Phoenix between 2017 and 2024. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes gave the Buenas on 32nd complex an ulti- matum to fix the air conditioning by a certain time or face legal action, a threat Mayes carried through by ultimately suing Buenas Communities. Mayes is seeking the business death penalty for the landlord, which would prevent Buenas Communities from operating in Arizona. That case is ongoing. Even if Mayes wins that case, Buenas Riverview may be unaffected, as it is tech- nically owned by a different entity. Mayes’ office declined a request to comment on the Buenas on 32nd case and on Mesa’s case against Buenas Riverview. A loose dog roams the Buenas Riverview apartment complex in Mesa. (Matthew Bird) No Buenas (Again) from p 11
