Village at Bluegrass terminates leases
Apartment managers site 'necessary repairs' in 30-day notices
A plywood barrier prevents guests to and residents of the Village at Bluegrass Apartments from accessing the stairwell between the second and third floors of one of its buildings Thursday, Aug. 10. The complex recently notified dozens of students that their leases would be terminated due to 'necessary repairs that will need to be made to the exterior stairs and railings at Village of Bluegrass.' [CM Life staff photo]
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Grace Ray, a Central Michigan University senior, was driving back home when she received a text from her roommate that their lease was terminated at the Village of Bluegrass, an apartment complex in Mount Pleasant.
They were asked to move out by Sept. 8.
"I was in shock and upset," Ray said. "I was freaking out, calling my friends that all live in Bluegrass. ... I was really upset because I put a lot of work in our apartment."
A notice from Union Township warns residents and guests of the Village at Blue Grass, under penalty of misdemeanor charges, 'DO NOT ENTER' and 'Unsafe to Occupy.' The Mount Pleasant apartment complex recently notified dozens of students that their leases would be terminated due to 'necessary repairs that will need to be made to the exterior stairs and railings at Village of Bluegrass.' [CM Life staff photo]
Central Michigan Life made several attempts to contact Village at Bluegrass's complex managers and property management corporation Greystar, on Thursday, August 10. Greystar Apartments did not respond, but Village at Bluegrass released this statement in an email:
"Significant repairs need to be made to some of the exterior stairs. For the safety of everyone involved while the repair project is underway, the staircases cannot be used. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to vacate some apartments. We will continue (to) work with residents to discuss their options."
They did not comment further.
According to copies of an email that multiple students provided to CM Life, Village at Bluegrass notified its residents, "there is not enough available bed space at Village at Bluegrass to accommodate all residents," because of the exterior stairs and railings that need "necessary repairs."
"While we hoped that this work could be performed without distrupting residents, upon further inspection and discussion with engineers and contractors, this work will require an area of stairways to be shut down while work is completed, which will temporary restrict our occupancy," reads the email.
The lease termination is "especially stressful" just a few weeks before classes at CMU start, Ray said.
"I work so I don't really have the time to fully move out," Ray said. "So, now I have to make the time that I have to take off work that I can't really afford to take off."
Ray has been a resident of a bottom floor at the apartments for the past year. Four months ago she remembers seeing cement falling through the stairs. She said the cement sat there for at least a week.
The Village at Bluegrass Apartments complex recently notified dozens of student residents that their leases would be terminated due to 'necessary repairs that will need to be made to the exterior stairs and railings at Village of Bluegrass.' These concrete stairs, photographed Aug. 10, lead from the second floor to the third floor of one of the complex's buildings. [CM Life staff photo]
"They weren't even on top of fixing things," Ray said.
The lease termination has been an ongoing thing. Ray said her friend was asked to move out two weeks ago.
"I heard a week ago that building eight got terminated," she said. "But I thought it was only going to be building eight so I didn't really think much into it. And then yesterday, we got an email."
Now, Ray and her group of friends will move to a different complex, Jamestown Apartments.
"Luckily we found one to live in," she said. "But it was just very stressful looking at the apartments and signing leases in less than two hours.
“It was really overwhelming. It was just a lot. I remember I got home, and I had to lay down."
In the email, Village at Bluegrass offered residents to sign a new lease with them "on a first come, first served basis."
Those who are not interested in pursuing a new lease were asked to inform the Bluegrass managment by Friday, August 11 and "the 30-day notice to vacate will be enforced on September 8, 2023."
Nikki Hookham, a property manager and marketing director for the United Apartments, said her company was accommodating people Thursday. As of 1 p.m. that day, 10 new residents had signed leases with United Apartments, she said. There was also still space available for those looking for a new apartment.
Ray said she will move into her new apartment as soon as her lease starts. She has already paid her rent for August in the Village at Bluegrass, which, she said, she was not reimbursed for.
"I'm just glad that I think we have somewhere to live," Ray said. "And I feel terrible for the people that don't. And I hope that they find somewhere."
