Construction delays leave hundreds of college student with no place to live

Jazmine Davis said Catalyst Midtown promised that her apartment would be ready for the start of her semester. More than a month later, she’s still unable to move in because the building is still one big construction site.

Davis said she’s paying roughly $1000 a month, plus another $150 for parking, for a building she cannot live in.

"It’s frustrating," the pre-med student said. "I’m trying to get my education, I’m trying to find a job, and I can’t do any of this if I don’t have a stable place to just lay my head at night."

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She and hundreds of other students that signed up to live in there have been bouncing from one hotel to another with the building incomplete.

"I flew from across the country so I have all of my stuff with me," said Davis, who is from California. "Everything that I have to my name, I’m carrying around with me. I don’t know what day I’m going to have to like grab all my stuff."

Apartment complex for students under construction

Some students have been left without stable housing due to ongoing construction delays at the student apartment complex.

Multiple requests for comment from Catalyst Midtown’s management went unanswered. The leasing office was locked and closed when FOX 5 cameras paid them a visit. Catalyst Midtown’s website now shows a 404 error message.

"When I originally signed my lease, they told me that it would be done in June," said Pier Hammonds, a senior at another nearby college. "Now, it’s almost October."

The building is not affiliated with any one school, but offers housing to students who go to several nearby institutions. One of the buildings on the site has been completed, but residents in other five-story building have been left in limbo. The would-be residents were sent a letter from Michael Putman, the principal of the property with Campus Realty Advisors, on Friday.

"There is one general building inspection remaining for this phase of the project that will take place early next week," the letter obtained by FOX 5 said.

Davis said she’s not holding her breath.

"They’ve been telling us that they just have to wait for one small inspection to be checked off of the list," she said. "They’ve been telling us that for a month now. So how small can the inspection really be?"

The city’s office of zoning and development was not able to immediately provide the building’s inspection status.

The letter also said a tornado in the summer hit the elevator company’s warehouse, so the wait on floors four and five will be even longer.

Building material, piping, and construction machinery still surround the building. Several portions of it are also missing siding.

"It’s hurting me financially, emotionally, it’s hurting me in school," said Hammonds. "I’m very behind in work."

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