Valdosta’s Magnolia Reserve housing complex continues to delay student move-in date

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Nearly a month into the 2023 fall semester, some students are still living in hotels and eating out every day with anticipation that the end is in sight.

Magnolia Reserve started construction in January 2023 and quickly began accepting leases for students for this fall semester. The original move-in date was August 1, 2023. Since then, the property has moved the move-in date back multiple times.

“I’m still in the hotel and it’s still just a lot for me. I’m just trying to make the best of it because I still have to eat outside every day,” a Valdosta State University student said, “The $200 stipend, I told them was not enough, because we still also have to pay to do our laundry, and that is money coming out of my pocket that I don’t have.”

In addition to the hotel accommodations and food stipend, the housing complex is also providing storage. However, residents are still required to pay their full months’ rent with no discount concerning the consistent delays.

“When September 1st came around, they were still asking for full month’s rent knowing we are still staying in these hotels. I didn’t feel that was fair at all,” the student said.

The property owners told WALB that there was a meeting held recently with Georgia Power, the city of Valdosta electrical inspector and the general contractor for Magnolia Reserve to get power supplied to the complex. They are also waiting on water meters.

“At the end of the day, you prevented my child from being able to move in somewhere,” A Valdosta State University parent said. “Now there is anxiety, there’s stress, although she’s living in a hotel, it’s still homelessness because it’s not her own. It’s ridiculous. And you think it’s OK for us to accept the fact that you will send an email out letting us know what’s going on, but then one to two days before the date that you said these kids could move in, they can’t move in.”

An official move-in date has not yet been set.

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