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Delayed Again? As of Friday Afternoon, No CO’s Issued for The Cottages of Boone, ‘Hope’ Is For Saturday, Monday

An aerial photo of The Cottages of Boone taken roughly three weeks ago. Photo by Jordan Nelson
An aerial photo of The Cottages of Boone taken roughly three weeks ago. Photo by Jordan Nelson

By Jesse Wood

Aug. 16, 2013. As of Friday after 5 p.m., the Watauga County Planning & Inspections department hasn’t issued a single certificate of occupancy to The Cottages of Boone, according to WCP&I Director Joe Furman. 

Time isn’t running out, considering that The Cottages of Boone’s plans for tenants to move in on Sunday, according to recent emails to tenants. If this weekend doesn’t go as The Cottages of Boone has scheduled, it wouldn’t be the first delay for the 60-acre development.

In June, Jen Wilson, vice president of marketing and leasing for the Cottages, said one unit to house approximately 40 residents would be “delayed for a short period of time” because of weather. And then at the end of July, 360 tenants were told that they would not be able to move-in to the development on the proposed move-in date Aug 15, when one student told the HCPress.com that his building had not even been built yet.

Following that announcement, The Cottages of Boone, a student housing development, sent an email to all tenants stating that they wouldn’t be allowed to move in until Sunday, Aug. 18, days after Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute began and two days before Appalachian State University’s fall semester began. 

WCP&I and contractors with The Cottages of Boone have been working around the clock in order for tenants to move in on Sunday. Inspectors plan to be on the premises on Saturday. 

Here’s the latest information available …

In an email on Friday afternoon just after 5 p.m., Furman wrote, “No CO’s [certificate of occupancies] have been issued so far. I hope a number of them will be issued tomorrow and Monday. The units have not been ready and that is why they have not ‘passed’ inspections. It appears a number of them are now close. I can’t predict numbers and if all of the needed work will be done. The fire marshal is also working with them on the water system (fire protection), and some issues are pending there.”

The most recent post on The Cottages of Boone Facebook page has nearly 100 comments about the current move-in fiasco, and many of the posters are not happy campers. One noted that he had already been notified that his unit wouldn’t be ready by Sunday. Other people posted that they had yet to be notified of any updates. 

During the past month, The Cottages of Boone have declined to return phone calls and emails for comment.