The city of Gardner’s announcement that tenants of Aspen Place Apartments had 48 hours to vacate left residents scrambling, and the owners of the complex say they weren’t aware it was happening. U-Hauls and pick-up trucks lined the streets of the complex Wednesday as tenants had just slightly over 24 hours to move out of their apartments. The city provided a 48-hour notice on Tuesday, saying the apartments were "unfit for habitation" and had to be condemned. Hundreds of residents packed belongings, with many uncertain of what's to come. Many tenants were still in a state of shock Wednesday. "We can't leave in 48 hours. It's virtually impossible unless you have nothing in your home," said Victor Gates, a resident at Aspen Place. "The garage is full, I got tools, at this rate I can't even give them away to get out of here faster. "It's just unrealistic in 48 hours, man, you know, no matter how you look at it." Mayor Todd Winters emphasized that tenants can leave belongings behind and come back during daylight hours; they just can't be staying or sleeping there after 6 p.m. Thursday. "We are working with a lot of groups, a lot of organizations to see if they need temporary shelter," Winters said. "We don't want to put anyone out on the streets by any means."KDR Group, which owns Aspen Place, said in a news release shared with KMBC 9 that they did not receive an advance notice. KDR Group bought the complex in May 2022, and they said that since the purchase of the property, water pressure issues have been a problem. The city noted Tuesday that a lack of sufficient water, and the inability to reliably put out fires, was one critical reason for shutting down the apartments. The owners say that management has been coordinating with the city to fix the issue. “At the time of the condemnation notice, the engineering plans of the overhaul of the water line system was already in process,” the news release said.The owners said that the water line system is a major project and very costly, but they are prepared to move forward with it.The city also said that a key reason for condemning the apartments was unsafe roads causing inadequate access for first responders after an incident where a fire truck reportedly somewhat fell through the road. The ownership group did not wholly address that incident. KDR Group said it has other projects and has offered apartments to tenants to relocate. Residents have until 6 p.m. Thursday to be out of their apartments. They can go back to retrieve personal items during daylight hours after that. “The ownership group is committed to assist its tenants during this unfortunate time and will proceed with the complete overhaul of the water line system,” the group said in the news release. KDR Group said aside from the incident with the fire truck, the water line project would have successfully proceeded and the city would not have had to condemn the apartments. The city said it would have been "irresponsible" to leave residents in the situation they were in after the issue with emergency services and the fire truck stuck in the road. The group says it will cooperate with the city to find a solution. The Gardner community is coming together to support displaced tenants. A local food pantry is raising money to help with moving costs for residents. Those interested in donating can find the group's fundraiser here.