West Village responds to students’ complaints
Construction of the new apartments in West Village, called The Green, began in Feb. 2019. Anticipated to hold approximately 1,000 beds by Fall 2020 and be ready for occupancy by Fall 2021, The Green is a part of UC Davis’ initiative to provide more housing for undergraduate students. The building is also aiming for Net Zero Energy, meaning the apartments will produce as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis.
The Green is not owned by West Village, nor does West Village manage the construction. It is instead owned by UC Davis Student Housing, which is in charge of construction of the new undergraduate apartments in the West Village area. Currently, West Village, managed by Greystar Real Estate, resides on land owned by UC Davis.
The construction of The Green, however, has proven to be a disturbance for current West Village tenants living across from the construction site. Tenants living adjacent to Tilia Street expressed concerns about the construction noises waking them up and bothering them when they are studying.
“It’s Monday through Saturday, so it’s six days a week,” said Adam Graubart, a second-year chemical engineering major. “They start at about 7 a.m. every morning, so I’d say that more than half of the days, it wakes me up. We live about 30 feet from the construction site, so it’s insanely close.”
Some students have reached out to West Village management to complain about the noise, looking to receive some sort of compensation for the trouble.
“This is supposed to be a quiet area,” Graubart said. “I can’t really study during the day. There have been times where I’m trying to record something on the piano, and the truck beeping in the back gets in the way and I’d have to rerecord it. It’s annoying. I didn’t sign up for this — there was nothing in the lease agreement that said anything about construction.”
After receiving complaints from their residents, West Village issued a notice to affected residents which was obtained by The California Aggie.
“The Sol at West Village leasing office has received some complaints and concerns regarding the noise from the construction adjacent to our community,” the notice states. “Please be advised that this construction project is owned and managed by UC Davis. This is not our project, and we do not control the plans for the development or the related noise. We have contacted Real Estate Services on behalf of our residents and asked that the developer be reminded that they are working in a housing area and that development noise needs to be limited in the early morning.”
The notice emphasizes the fact that the leasing office has no control over the project nor any control over construction schedules and all questions, comments or concerns are to be directed to UC Davis Real Estate Services at 530-752-3776.
Rumors have circulated about leasing agents at West Village lowering rent for certain tenants who have complained while maintaining original rent prices for tenants who did not complain. Officials from West Village did not comment on these allegations.
This is not the first occasion at West Village concerning tenant complaints about construction noise, according to a 2011 article from The Aggie. At that time, most of West Village had been finished and it began leasing. Not all the Viridian units, however, were completed, yet management still leased finished units to new tenants.
The graduate students living in these apartments were unhappy with their units because not all amenities they thought they were promised were given, they claimed their apartments were dirty and their appliances were not working.
The noise from the construction of the rest of Viridian was also bothersome, so much so that management placed Viridian tenants in the Hyatt hotel rooms on campus.
The construction of The Green is expected to be finished by Fall 2021. Until then, it is unknown how West Village will continue to handle the complaints they receive for current and future tenants.
Written by: Linh Nguyen — features@theaggie.org
