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UNCC students finally move into apartment complex after months of construction delays

By Briana Harper
By Briana Harper

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After months of construction delays and frustration, dozens of UNC Charlotte students are finally moving into their apartment complex.

They were supposed to have been in their apartments in August.

Starting Saturday morning, with about a month remaining in the semester, students were permitted into their homes at Haven 49 in University City.

"I was one of the first people, and they were handing out Chick-fil-A, trying to cushion the blow,” student Deana Celaj said.

Students were placed in hotels or had to find other housing options while crews worked to fix all critical code issues at Haven 49.

"It was a hassle to move hotels,” student Melissa Martin. "I moved seven times."

Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement awarded Haven 49 temporary certificates of occupancy, meaning the building is now officially safe for students to move in.

“It's gorgeous. It is really nice, more than I expected,” Martin said.

[RELATED: UNCC classes start while students wait for apartment complex to be ready]

[UNCC students kicked out of hotels after apartment complex delays move-in again]

The certificates indicate the building has fixed all critical code issues.

"It's been so weird living hotel to hotel,” student Thomas Bright said. “Having my own bed, having a place to eat, and one of their advertisements was being 30 seconds from campus. I'm an 8-mile drive (away) right now."

While the appearance looks nice for some students, others expressed frustration and sent Channel 9 photos of damage they’ve noticed and items that don’t look ready to use.

“The elevator that I saw wasn't done. It wasn't working,” student Darien Dean said.

Code Enforcement told Channel 9 that one section is not ready for move-in, but students said management promised it will be fixed soon.

The remaining issues are mostly administrative and do not affect safety. Those issues must be resolved within 90 days.

"I know that there's a whole section that still needs to be done because of mold, and they're moving people out of their rooms for that now,” Celaj said.

Students told Channel 9 on Sept. 1 that Haven 49 said it would begin giving $250 weekly stipends until residents could move in and that the money would be available via gift card.

Based on an email residents received Friday, that may no longer be the case.

The email explains that the stipends will now be applied to rent.

[READ MORE: New program allows students to have pets in some UNCC dorms]

Channel 9 spoke with a student who has been commuting daily from Durham to Charlotte for classes while he waits to move into Haven 49.

"The gift card was going to be for my personal use,” student Keshaun White said. “I was going to put it toward one month of rent and then use the rest of it for what I needed, as far as necessities and stuff like that.”

Channel 9 has been following this story for months and has kept in touch with students, who were initially told they could move in in August.

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