By Ana Ruiz Brictson | News Editor, Video by Kaity Kempf | Broadcast Reporter
Approximately 40 students will be spending Labor Day weekend moving from one hotel to another or searching for a place to stay after several construction delays on a Waco apartment complex.
The Row, an apartment complex located at 1624 S. 10th St., is still under construction — long past its original move-in date scheduled for Aug. 17.
On Aug. 12, future residents of The Row received an email from Brothers Management with an update from Mark Boozer, co-owner of Bear Waco Land Investors.
“While Mark and the builder were hopeful The Row would be complete by Aug. 17, 2022, unfortunately move-in day is going to be delayed,” the Brothers Management email said. “Mark and the builder think the delay will only be about a week, with you being able to move-in on Aug. 24, 2022. August 24, 2022 is not a firm date but is the target date they are projecting.”
According to Brothers Management’s statement to The Baylor Lariat, their company manages The Row for the property owner and oversees communication with its residents.
“In this instance, we are assisting the residents of the property with alternate housing options at the direction of and on behalf of the property ownership,” Brothers Management’s statement said.
Danville, Calif., sophomore Ainsley Gibbs signed her lease with The Row in May 2022. She said throughout the summer, future residents never received any updates on how the apartment complex’s construction was going. She said she and others assumed the establishment would be completed by the move-in date stated in the lease.
“As I was driving to Baylor, we got an email saying [move-in] was going to be pushed back a week, and our expected move-in date would be the 24th,” Gibbs said.
Additionally, future residents were told in the email that hotel rooms were being booked for them at The Element Waco and that storage units were being reserved to store their belongings — both covered by Brothers Management.
Boozer said the construction delay was due to challenges similar to those the industry has experienced over the last 12-18 months, including labor shortages and supply chain disruption.
Gibbs said moving into a hotel was frustrating for her because she could only bring the items she would need for a hotel room. She said she left the rest of her personal belongings in a storage unit she had rented for the summer.
On Aug. 17 — five days after the original email — future residents received another email from Brothers Management notifying them of another delay.
“A more realistic move-in date will be Sept. 14, 2022,” the Brothers Management email said. “If the units are ready and certificate of occupancy is issued before Sept. 14, 2022, then of course you will be notified and allowed to move in at that time.”
The email, however, did not say residents of The Row staying in The Element would have to move out of the hotel by Labor Day weekend.
On Aug. 29, future residents received another email from Brothers Management about having to move out that same weekend.
“We are being told by The Element they have very limited availability; therefore, we cannot make the decision to allow a small number to stay at The Element and relocating everyone else,” the Brothers Management email said. “We have to do the same for everyone.”
Residents were given the option to move to La Quinta hotel or to stay in another hotel of their choice, but they were warned they will only get reimbursed for up to $80 per night. Receipts are required in order to get reimbursement.
“We recognize and regret the inconvenience that this has caused,” Boozer said via email. “We have been proactive in arranging alternative housing until construction is completed.”
Additionally, Boozer said his team has been working with multiple hotel partners to provide alternative housing for future residents. He said they will continue to do so until construction is completed.
When future residents of The Row signed their leases, they also signed a new construction addendum agreement in case the apartments were not completed by the original move-in date.
“The Owner will attempt to allow for more than sufficient time to complete construction,” the addendum said. “However, the Tenants hereby understand that construction could possibly delay scheduled move-in date due to circumstances beyond the control of the Owner.”
Gibbs said she felt like the agreement was a little misleading since there were no updates on construction sent to future residents throughout the summer.
“The only updates that I got from the property were from my roommates who are from Texas and were driving down and taking videos of the progress,” Gibbs said. “I just remember my roommate going down in June, and she took a video, and I was like, ‘That’s not going to be ready by move-in.‘”
Chanhassen, Minn., sophomore Emily Wilson said when she initially got to The Element, she was told by the front desk there was not going to be enough availability for all The Row residents after Sept. 3. She said the hotel staff encouraged her and her roommates to book a room in case they wanted to stay. Brothers Management, however, told all The Row tenants they had to move out on Aug. 29.
“Under the circumstances, they have been very accommodating and doing their best to make this as easy as possible, because it’s a bad situation for all of us,” Wilson said.
Wilson also said that as difficult as it has been for residents, she knows it has also placed Bear Waco Land Investors in a tough situation.
“We are days away from completion and working tirelessly to finish,” Boozer said.
