The Enclave
Positioned between 7-11 and Greenbelt Road, the Enclave apartment building has managed to carve out a niche amid a slew of luxury housing options in the city, despite its relative distance from the campus.
In the months following its fall 2011 opening, the apartment complex, which has seen a slew of management teams, struggled to attract students. The building’s leasing rate of its 369 beds stood at just more than 50 percent in February, but since Star Management Group took over in July, focusing heavily on customer service and employing a “guerrilla” marketing campaign, the rate has spiked to 89 percent, according to manager Josh Parini.
Before then, however, the building had also hired a North Carolina-based firm in December after scores of residents complained of mold-infested carpets and shoddy maintenance, determined to address concerns and raise the building’s dismal occupancy rate. In July, after an onslaught of “false promises” and disagreements in pricing, however, the ownership again sought a fresh start and fired the company.
“It was a lot of confusion,” Parini said. “Pricing-wise … they went in and basically gave very, very low rent.”
The competitive rent prices, compared to the University View and The Varsity, were enticing for Adam Duvall, a junior computer science major.
“It’s cheaper here definitely than The Varsity, but the extra price would probably be worth it because it’s closer to campus,” Duvall said. “I would probably look elsewhere before renewing just because of the distance and overall quality.”
When Star Management took over, the new management distributed flyers at local businesses and on the campus, bolstered their Internet campus, bolstered their Internet presence and outfitted students with free merchandise, such as backpacks emblazoned with “The Enclave,” to help create buzz. The occupancy rate rose from 72 percent in July to 89 percent by the end of August.
The management has also worked to get to know each of the apartment’s student residents by name, greeting them upon entry and holding mixer events in the lobby in the hope of creating a more intimate relationship with the clientele, Parini said.
“Sometimes people are scared to talk to managers; sometimes they feel that management doesn’t relate to students,” Parini said. “We got down to their level and said, ‘Hey, we’re all here together.’”
Although the management has worked to improve residents’ living experiences, several students, such as sophomore mathematics major Madison Hawkes, said the building’s distant location leaves them feeling disconnected from the campus and major city attractions.
“It’s really new, but the distance I don’t like, and I think a lot of people don’t like that,” Hawkes said, adding she needs her car to access grocery stores and restaurants. “I’d probably rather live in a really crappy place that’s close to campus.”
While management has improved since moving in, she said, several initial problems made her apprehensive about the living situation. When she first moved into her apartment, she discovered the previous tenant had left many of his or her possessions behind. When she approached management, they asked her to clean it out herself.
“The person left their junk,” she said. “They wouldn’t throw it away, so I had to throw it away.”
Hawkes added she’d be more inclined to renew her lease if the retail spaces on the lobby level were full of shops and restaurants. The building is aiming to create a peaceful, upscale environment for students, Parini said. Despite more successful efforts to fill beds, three retail spots on the lobby level of the building remain vacant. Parini said the team is in talks with vendors and hopes to add a coffee shop, a brewery and a dessert shop.
“We’re working on new strategies to make this an exclusive, boutique-type of luxury living where students can come here to study, get good grades,” Parini said.
