FAYETTEVILLE -- A large student housing complex near Baum Stadium should be complete by the end of the year after months of delay and frustration for some residents, the developer said this week.
Construction of the residential buildings in Beechwood Village, a cottage-style complex with about 670 rooms, is expected to wrap up in November, said Brent Little, president of Dallas-based Fountain Residential Partners. The clubhouse is expected to be finished the next month, Little said. If so, the complex would finally be ready to accept spring semester leases in all of its bedrooms.
"We're very excited about the completion," Little said Wednesday. "It's going to be a wonderful project, and it's going to be built very well."
The units, boxy buildings with earth-tone and unpainted wood accents, each can house up to two dozen residents, Little said. About 400 tenants have moved in as the project is completed piece by piece. About 40 more who signed leases had to find other lodging, double up in temporary rooms or make other arrangements while they wait, Little said.
The project originally was set to be finished in time for the fall semester, but a switch in contractors in May, weather and other changes repeatedly delayed work. Those delays, along with what some said was vague or unreliable information from management, have sparked exasperation among residents such as Ben Jessup, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas who transferred from Texas.
The complex looked new and appealing, Jessup said, so he and his girlfriend signed up for a one-bedroom unit over the summer. Then the move-in date was pushed back repeatedly without much communication from management, he said. Jessup and his girlfriend are sharing a two-bedroom with a roommate and lower rent until their unit opens up. Jessup said Wednesday they last were told they might move in this week, but that didn't happen.
"I don't want to be harsh, but they pretty much did lie to our faces," Jessup said, adding the parking is unfinished and quick to fill up and the mailroom isn't done, among other problems. He decided to stick around, though. "It's worth just seeing what the one-bedroom ends up being like."
Jessup said the complex has paid him $550 as compensation for the delays and lack of amenities. Would-be residents who have been staying in hotels or the like also get a monthly stipend of several hundred dollars, Little said.
Not all residents share Jessup's irritation; reviews on the complex's Facebook page are sharply divided, with nearly all of them giving either one-star or five-star ratings. Many of the one-star raters also complained of delays and poor communication, while the better reviews gave glowing recommendations of the rooms and staff members.
"I've got three kids in college -- I understand their frustration completely," Little said, acknowledging move-in dates change when the construction schedule is adjusted. "We do what we can to keep our residents happy and keep them housed. We apologize every time it happens."
Phased-in move-ins are fairly common for large apartment complexes, said Jeremy Pate, Fayetteville's development services director. The city makes sure each building is fit to live in and issues 30-day, renewable temporary occupancy permits.
Fountain Residential has met all of its requirements through the process, Pate said, adding, "They've worked very hard to try to finish the project."
NW News on 10/30/2015