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Defying expectations, Morgan Hill’s newest senior citizen apartment complex happens to be one of the police department’s busiest neighborhoods when it comes to calls for service, though the developer and city staff say safety improvements are already in the works.The Lodge, a 138-unit affordable congregate care apartment complex on Barrett Avenue, just opened in March and has been fully leased since July, according to city staff.From March through September, Morgan Hill police have responded to 67 calls for service at The Lodge, according to MHPD Capt. Jerry Neumayer. That eclipses similar multi-family apartment buildings in Morgan Hill such as Murphy Ranch (59 calls during the same time period), Terracina apartments (46 calls), Bella Terra (47 calls) and Cochrane Village (38 calls).Calls and incidents at The Lodge have included possession of narcotics, fights, public intoxication and “5150” calls in which a subject is “unable to take care of themselves, or they’re a danger to themselves or others,” Neumayer said.The Morgan Hill Fire Department has also reported regular calls for fire and emergency medical incidents at The Lodge, but not an unusually high volume. The “very high” number of police calls, however, is “unexpected of senior developments” which cities actively seek due to their typically low burden on police services, according to Morgan Hill Housing Manager Sidney Stone.The trends came up at the Nov. 19 City Council meeting, in a public hearing in which the developer sought the city’s blessing to acquire about $23 million in tax-exempt bonds for the project’s 114-unit second phase. The city will not be on the hook for any of that amount, which will come from the California Statewide Communities Development Authority under the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program. Issuance of the bonds only needed the approval of a CSCDA member agency, such as the city of Morgan Hill.The council voted to approve the bonds on a 4-1 vote with Council member Marilyn Librers in dissent.But the city, based on recommendations from the planning commission and other city offices including MHPD, will require The Lodge’s developer to devise and implement a “management and security plan” for existing and future phases before permitting phase two. That plan is in the works.Neumayer added that police hope to see positive results up to six months after a security plan is implemented, though a steady drop in calls for service could take even longer than that.“If things continue with the trends we have seen over the last 10 months, and if they add that second phase it’s going to double our burden, so we want those changes to be instituted. Otherwise it’s going to have a huge burden on our police force,” Neumayer said.The Lodge’s developer, Community Development Partners, hopes to build the second phase by May 2015.CDP has already acted on some security efforts, according to both Neumayer and CDP’s CEO Eric Paine.These include tightening up the tenant selection process, enforcing violations of lease agreements and improving communication between Lodge staff and emergency agencies. Paine said on-site private security would be a “last resort” if other measures prove ineffective.Paine added that by the end of this month the complex will install a security camera system to which police will have remote access.The Lodge has installed an electronic key system, which equips all residents with a key device that allows the property manager to track who’s on the property, Paine added.Furthermore, the developer asked The Lodge’s 150 residents to complete a survey on the safety, appearance and overall quality of the complex. The results of that survey identified some areas in which staff can improve safety, Paine said.Neumayer added that part of the public safety problem at The Lodge is on-site staff was previously unaware when an emergency was called in on the property. Now, MHPD has a designated liaison with Lodge staff to keep communication open and frequent.A visit to The Lodge does not present a hint of a threat to public safety. The three-story building’s exterior is cleanly landscaped and decorated with stone facades and large ground-floor windows. A wide, covered entryway leads to the front door.The congregate care facility serves three meals a day in the first-floor dining room, where about 60 residents and guests enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner last week, Paine said. Wide, freshly painted hallways lead to spacious communal areas including a theater, card room, library, exercise room and craft room. Barbecue stations, a bocce ball court and lounge seating provide outdoor activities.All but two of the units are restricted to tenants whose incomes are between 50 and 60 percent of the area median income, Paine explained. Many tenants are subsidized by Section 8 housing vouchers or other programs such as the Veterans Administration.Other safety improvements in the works at The Lodge include revising the tenant selection process to ensure applicants have not lied about their housing history; tenant education on what constitutes an emergency; and adding lease provisions that allow eviction if a tenant commits a crime, Paine added.While neither police nor the developer can seem to pinpoint the exact reason for the high volume of public safety calls, in the last 75 days The Lodge has terminated leases with “several problem tenants,” Paine added.Neumayer added that police think those causing the problems so far are a “small percentage” of residents at The Lodge, and some of those contacted by officers are repeat offenders.Paine noted that the number of police calls dropped significantly from October to November, though Neumayer could not confirm that—nor any tangible result of new security measures—at press time.Paine also pointed out that The Lodge has significantly more units than other senior apartment complexes in Morgan Hill. Thus, the number of police calls per unit is not remarkably higher than those seen at other developments.Still, CDP is committed to improving and maintaining safety in an apartment complex they plan to own for the next 50 years or more, Paine said.“We’re being proactive because we’re long-term property owners, and we want the property to be safe and accessible for all the stakeholders, including the residents,” Paine said. “Our goal is to make sure the residents are safe, and it’s a thriving community.”In the meantime, city officials will continue to meet with those involved in the project. Mayor Steve Tate will stop by the complex’s craft room for coffee Dec. 4.Some council members were already pleased with progress reported at the Nov. 19 meeting.“They seem to be mitigating the problems,” Council member Rich Constantine said. “I think our concerns have been conveyed in a proper manner.”