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New apartments force early move-out for students

Some students say they were given little notice to vacate early.

 

Summer construction on new apartments in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood is forcing some current tenants to move out earlier than expected.

Several residents living on 15th Avenue in Marcy-Holmes will have to move out to make way for new apartment buildings built by Dinkytown Rentals and CPM Property Management.

While some tenants have said they were told about moving out months ago, others said they were given little notice.

Owners of both Dinkytown Rentals and CPM said they’re offering alternative housing for displaced tenants.

Psychology senior Max Zimbel  said one of his roommates got a call in early May letting her know they had 60 days to vacate their house on 15th Avenue   between Seventh and Eighth Street streets that will be replaced by a six-story, 643-bedroom CPM apartment complex .

“They only spoke to her,” Zimbel said, and never sent a letter or called the other tenants. Zimbel said he’s currently working with University Student Legal Service to negotiate the end of their lease with their current landlord.

CPM President Daniel Oberpriller said his company is trying to mitigate the concerns of those living in properties he’s buying.

“We’re working out deals with them,” Oberpriller said. “We’re trying to make it positive.”

While the early move-out surprised Zimbel and his roommates, some in the area knew it was coming.

Joe Nelson, who rents from Dinkytown Rentals and whose house will be replaced by his landlord’s new four-story, 38-bedroom apartment complex, has known for some time he’d be leaving early.

“There was a little bit of hinting that this might be the last lease [for the property],” he said.

The Minneapolis Community and Technical College sophomore said he has to be out by the end May but is planning to move home to Apple Valley, Minn., for the summer.

Dinkytown Rentals owner Tim Harmsen said all of his tenants knew about the new development well in advance.

“We’ve been in communication with all of them,” said Harmsen, who noted there’s an early termination clause in the leases.

The new property has to be constructed quickly, Harmsen added, or he won’t be able to show it to prospective tenants.

Harmsen said he offered to let current tenants rent his other properties for the summer if they had nowhere else to go, but they weren’t interested.

The new CPM development will also displace some long-term residents in the area.

Ardes Johnson, a University alumna, decided to sell her townhouse in the Rollins Court complex after living there for 22 years.

“It was hard to say, ‘O.K., for the right price, I’ll give in,’” Johnson said. “That’s what it amounted to.”

Construction on the Dinkytown Rentals development is slated to begin July 10, while CPM will break ground Aug. 1.

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