LUX apartments see move-in delay for some units

When Elisabeth McFarland signed her lease for the fall semester, she didn’t consider she could be living in a hotel for the first few weeks of school.

McFarland, a junior from Chapel Hill, is planning to live in LUX at Central Park, an apartment complex under construction on a 9.13-acre site along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

“My roommate and I have been looking forward to moving in since we signed in November,” she said.

But McFarland said she was surprised to find out her move-in could be delayed.

Future residents received an email on Friday from Brandon Isley, general manager of the apartment complex, announcing LUX will not be completely done on time and all residents will not be able to move in before school starts. The move-in date for new LUX residents was Aug. 17.

Isley could not be reached for comment.

Travis Vencel, the vice president of development for Trinitas, LUX’s corporate office, said the email was mostly a precaution — he said most units will be done on time and available for move-in on Aug. 17, but some units will not be ready as scheduled.

“We expect to move some people in on time, and we expect that some people will be late,” Vencel said.

According to the email, residents will be able to move into their apartments within two to three weeks of the beginning of the fall semester. Residents will move into their unit as soon as it is move-in ready.

“We don’t have the ability to say which units will be done and which will not,” Vencel said.

Causing a delay

“We had a very rainy, wet winter for Chapel Hill,” Vencel said. “We don’t expect snow in Chapel Hill.”

Along with the weather, Vencel cited permitting at the state level and trouble with inspections and mapping as reasons for the delay.

“This is the first time we have delivered late like this,” he said. “It does happen. You start a construction project 18 months ago with a schedule showing you finishing exactly on time, but there’s always the risk that you’re going to run into these things along way.”

Paul Holder, a junior from Texas, said moving in Aug. 17 would be easier for him as an out-of-state student, but he doesn’t think it will be too much of an inconvenience.

“I feel like they did what they could,” Holder said. “I feel like it was an unfortunate situation.”

Making do

In the email, residents were given two options: they could stay in a hotel at LUX’s expense or terminate their lease and find alternate housing. LUX will provide a shuttle for those staying at the hotels from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, but they will not provide storage for residents’ belongings.

“We’re going to continue to communicate with our residents as we move forward,” Vencel said.

A second email of frequently asked questions also sent to residents by Isley said those who choose to stay with LUX will be given a $150 Visa gift card and a laundry service will be contracted to pick up and drop off laundry at the hotels.

Campus Apartments, the property manager for The Warehouse apartments, located at 316 W. Rosemary St., released a statement saying they encourage anyone looking to secure alternative housing to tour The Warehouse.

“The Warehouse has made a swift effort to house as many displaced students from (LUX) as possible,” said the statement.

McFarland said she won’t be as inconvenienced because she lives in town, but she plans to live in the hotel and is concerned about the shuttle. She said she thinks the hours of the shuttle will restrict a lot of students who are involved on campus.

“I’m most annoyed about the inconvenience of being away from campus,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at  city@dailytarheel.com.