Cardinal Towne: Can new management solve old problems?

Cardinal Towne has transferred ownership to American Campus Communities. The change took place a little over a week ago.

The reason behind the change in management is unknown. With students already upset with the cost and previous management of Cardinal Towne, how will this new management group plan to address those concerns?

Cardinal Towne is one of the newest addi- tions to U of L’s selection of off-campus affiliated housing. The facility opened in August of 2011.

Although it is just two years old, it is beginning to show its age.

Multiple students have reported problems regarding staggering rates and management’s unwillingness to quickly respond to maintenance problems.

With apartments ranging from $690 to $880 per month, students are also responsible for parking costs too. It costs $840 per year to park in the garage beneath the apartments, which some residents consider to be too expensive.

Abby Minrath said, “It’s ridiculously expensive for a student to be able to afford parking and I already pay $700 a month for my rent.”

Tenants who cannot afford that are being told to get an Old Louisville parking pass — which The Cardinal reported as an option for students back in September.

We printed a retraction in our Oct. 15 issue at the request of the university and Old Louisville Neighborhood Association. It seems as if the advice being given to Cardinal Towne residents directly contravenes University and Old Louisville agreements.

What was advertised as a luxury home away from home has now become a pricey burden for some of its residents.

“I think Cardinal Towne is over priced and the management is lazy,” said one resident of two years.

The student spoke of an incident of her fridge breaking. She reported the claim to maintenance, just to be told that the mess is hers to clean.

Another current resident, who has been living in the facility for only seven months, has already had her fair share of issues.

“I feel like it takes forever for tenant concerns to be addressed and the work is always half done. I needed a wall painted. I placed a request in August and nothing was done until November. On top of that the color was completely wrong.”

Residents say they would like their maintenance requests addressed within a timely manner. They want the work to be done correctly and for management to improve on student relations tremendously.

When asked if the student would recommend Cardinal Towne to future tenants, they replied, “It wouldn’t be my first suggestion.”

Attempts to obtain a reply from Cardinal Towne’s management were directed to American Campus Communities Public Relations representative Gina Cowart. Neither Cowart nor any other representatives from American Campus Communities were available for comment at the time of press.

Photo by Sasha Perez