When Allison Bauer moves back to Gainesville on Aug. 7 for sorority recruitment, she won't have access to her future apartment.
Instead, the 18-year-old UF political science sophomore will have to live with her best friend and Kappa Delta Sorority sister for more than a week, at least.
Back in October, Bauer signed a lease with The Standard at Gainesville. Unfortunately for her, the 10-story complex on the corner of West University Avenue and Northwest 13th Street won’t open for move-ins until Aug. 18, just three days before UF classes begin.
The Aug. 18 move-in date is on schedule with The Standard’s original timeline. Landmark Properties, the company that develops The Standard complexes across the U.S., said in January they expected an August opening date, according to Alligator archives.
“Everyone does recruitment around that time,” Bauer said. “It’s definitely poor planning on their part.”
Bauer said at least 30 of her sorority sisters who signed leases with The Standard for Fall are in the same situation she is. Before moving into the building, which will open 1,200 bedrooms for new residents come Fall, they must find temporary housing.
In the past, the property company has been behind on other projects in Boone, North Carolina, and Knoxville, Tennessee, sending many student residents to nearby hotels and apartments while the company finished construction past deadline, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
The Standard is set to provide on-site amenities including a parking garage for its residents, a Target Express on the ground level — with a Starbucks and CVS store inside the Target Express — and an AC Hotels by Marriott.
Cody Nichelson, a Landmark Properties spokesperson, and Michael Hinton, a leasing consultant manager at The Standard, both declined to comment on the status of the total project.
In April, the Florida Department of Transportation announced that The Standard’s parking garage structure was under investigation because officials were concerned the structure’s northeast corner jetted too far out from the property.
However, last week the investigation was dropped, FDOT spokesperson Troy Roberts said.
“There was no violation we found,” Roberts said.
While Bauer looks forward to living across the street from campus — and the rooftop pool she’ll have access to — she said the coming weeks are going to be tough.
Although the complex technically opens before the semester begins, Bauer’s recruitment schedule with Kappa Delta is from 7 a.m. to midnight that day. She said along with most of her sisters, she’ll move into The Standard on Aug. 21, after recruitment is finished.
Bauer said she’s just glad one of her best friends was willing to take her in. Otherwise, she said, she’s not sure what she would have done.
The Standard at Gainesville apartments is set to open on Aug. 18 for move-ins. With many UF students moving back to Gainesville on Aug. 7 for sorority recruitment, some will have to find temporary housing options elsewhere.
