As most people in our corner of the world knows, The Standard at Boone has created a lot of excitement, concern, questions and hope for students and parents in the community. With the announcement of a delayed move in, many Appalachian State University (ASU) students and residents of Boone, North Carolina have expressed their thoughts on Facebook.
The Standard at Boone was scheduled to open in August 2016.The Standard boasts many amenities including a pool, large apartments, fully furnished units, accommodations for residents with pets, free wifi, all inclusive rent, close proximity to Appalachian’s campus and much more. From the time that students caught wind of the new development, there were immediate concerns that this would be a flashback to the time that The Cottages were built in 2013 to also provide a highly amenitized location for local college students to lease each year. After failing inspections and having many incomplete buildings, 360 bedrooms at The Cottages were not completed by the anticipated date. When the announcement of The Standard was made, many students say they began laughing and joking that it would be a flashback to the issues with The Cottages. Many students wonder, “Why didn’t The Standard take that into consideration? Why did they think they would have it any different than The Cottages?"
Cody Nichelson, who works with Landmark Properties, the developer of The Standard at Boone, has weighed in on the topic. He said, "We will continue to update the lease holders and the Appalachian State University administration as often as possible with progress updates and projected move-in dates."
Dozens of students at Appalachian State University submitted questions they wanted answers to. Many have reported feeling tricked, disrespected, and upset with the situation. The new projected move-in date is in “early October." For at least 1.5 months, lessees will be living out of a hotel. During this time, they are still required to pay rent, but will be credited one-half of the daily prorate of the rent amount included in their leases. No students reported that they signed their lease with excitement about the possibility of living out of a hotel.
Below, Nichelson responds to questions that were submitted by anonymous students at Appalachian State University.
1. When deciding on the location of Boone, NC to build The Standard, what did Landmark Properties think would be different for them in comparison to the infamous delay and issues that students witnessed when The Cottages were built?
"Every development and every construction project is different, with its own set of expectations, planning procedures and uncontrollable variables. Landmark Properties was not and is not affiliated with The Cottages of Boone, so we will not speak directly to the challenges they faced. That said, we decided to build in Boone because we recognized a desire from students for highly-amentizied, urban housing options within close proximity to campus. Once open, The Standard at Boone will allow us to continue to serve more students in that area, offering them an unsurpassed college living experience."
2. Will all registered pets be allowed to stay with their owners while in the hotel?
"We currently do not have any residents at The Standard who have registered pets; however, for those who decide to bring a pet, we will place them in pet friendly hotels. If residents are planning on getting a pet in the future, our recommendation is that they wait until The Standard is open."
3. Up until July, The Standard has been quiet about any delays. Many students have expressed their frustration with the fact that they did not hear from The Standard about the delayed move in until recently. Why did lessees not hear about this until nearly a month before they were supposed to move in?
"Until recently, we had every indication from our construction team that the project would be delivered on time. That said, as soon as we discovered that there would be delays, we communicated this information with our residents along with details about temporary accommodation options, including hotel reservations, Visa gift cards for expenses and credits to their Landmark rental accounts."
4. There have been a few people sharing comments on a Facebook post that they talked to a contractor working at The Standard who said the earliest they expect to see students moved in is by January 2017, if not later. Another comment on the Facebook post said they spoke with a different person who also works for The Standard that told them it could be as late as February or March 2017. What is your opinion on those statements? Why is there such a large discrepancy with various employees from The Standard about the move-in date?
"We anticipate opening The Standard at Boone in early October. All other timetables particularly those forecasting the project's completion later than October 2016 are unsubstantiated and inaccurate."
Many students submitted quotes as well. All have requested to remain anonymous. All come from lessees of the The Standard.
“I called the leasing office July 28th and was told that if the apartment is not ready by October 13th then we will have the option to void the lease. I was also told that if we want to get out of the lease we have to find someone else to sublease or take over our current lease. I think it is important to note in your article that The Standard is not paying for the hotel, we are still paying half our rent to stay in a shared hotel room for two months (possibly longer). They are filling up many residents in hotels when the game season is right around the corner. Lastly, they are screwing college students, some of which are experiencing their first time away from home. It is truly disheartening.”
“I still don’t understand why The Standard says there is a limited labor market. There are dozens of people in the area looking for jobs. I’m sure that The Standard has room in the budget to pay them as well. If they have money to give out free Chik-Fil-A fairly often, bring a camel to campus, and more, then they have the money to pay for more labor and get this done faster.”
“I’m shocked to see that he told you there are no registered pets. I have multiple friends that said their pets are registered.”
“My hotel doesn't even have a desk for me to use and some people when checking in their rooms were told they weren't ready or were told they have to check in with their roommates”
As students move back to Boone just days before the new academic year, there are many questions that remain. Will The Standard be ready to live in once October rolls around? If not, will the hotels still be able to house the students currently living there? How will this delay affect traffic? Will the employees inside The Standard end up being correct in saying that it will not be ready until January or February? Nichelson says, “While we regret the delay, Landmark Properties remains steadfast in its commitment to provide an unsurpassed living experience and best-in-class product."