The Cardinal obtained a copy of the property’s Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, which is dated Sept. 9, which was last Tuesday.
A Certificate of Occupancy is a document issued by Metro government that allows people the right to reside on a property. All residential lots are required to obtain such a permit. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy differs only in that it makes the property subject to a final review.
Jessica Wethington, public information specialist for Develop Louisville, said that The Grove was granted an oral Temporary Certificate of Occupancy on Aug. 22. This, together with the stickers the inspector placed on most of the buildings, constituted the city’s official approval for students to move into the structure. The only buildings that, according to the written certificate, were not approved for move-in were buildings 4 and 5.
U of L imposed a deadline of Sept. 8 for Campus Crest to send the university a copy of the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, among other documents.
Campus Crest, The Grove’s parent company, released the following statement to the Cardinal, regarding its response to the university’s request:
“On Friday, September 5, 2014, Campus Crest provided the University of Louisville a comprehensive response to several requests on a range of topics, including the status of the approvals for occupancy by the City of Louisville. As indicated to the University, Campus Crest obtained all municipally-required approvals in advance of permitting residents to move into specific apartment units. Any updates or progress reports from Campus Crest to the University of Louisville regarding this matter, or any others, will be provided to the University as needed.”
While this “comprehensive response” did answer many of the university’s questions regarding the property, it still did not include the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy. University spokesperson Mark Hebert was able to obtain the document on Sept. 9 through Metro Government.
According to the document, the property will need to be reinspected for a final time 30 days after the temporary certificate was issued. That would mean that The Grove will need to be completed by Thursday, Oct. 9. But Wethington said that The Grove would be allowed to request a re-inspection when they felt that the structure was finished.
The Grove’s Certificate of Occupancy, dated Sept. 9, 2014.