With the rising demand in housing for University of North Georgia students, places such as The Bellamy are having to expand their property to keep up with the market. Due to construction for new additions, parking is an issue.
“I have not been impacted yet, but given that residents who are legally parked with valid permits are being towed, myself and other residents live in constant fear that our cars will be towed even if parked legitimately,” said Isaac Patterson, student at UNG and resident of The Bellamy.
Patterson says enforcement of parking regulations has gotten stricter lately, “The complex has always had the right to tow cars. Again, the concern here is the increased enforcement and lack of spaces.”
Residents at The Bellamy have started voicing concerns over the parking situation and have even gone as far to say they believe it is nothing more than a scam. Patterson said, “The situation at hand is solely the result of them [The Bellamy] and is being used for a capital gain off their own residents.”
Craig Haughton, the vice president of Caliber Living, the property management company for The Bellamy, says The Bellamy is doing everything it can to communicate to their residents about the situation. He says, “We are not doing this for personal gain. If we have towed resident’s cars, we have corrected and reimbursed accordingly. We cannot be at fault for residents not following rules.”
Haughton says, “We are doing everything we can to ensure the rules are enforced strictly for the benefit of our residents. We acknowledge that this parking situation is an inconvenience for our residents, but we cannot control the fact that residents are not following our clearly stated rules.”
Bellamy management has gotten calls from parents of UNG students after they visit the property and have their cars towed. Bailey Steadman, property manager of The Bellamy, says, “Visitors are being towed for not parking in their designated spots. After 9 p.m. we inspect the property and handle the situation as needed. If visitors are not where they are supposed to be, we must tow them.” Steadman says, “I personally walk the premises and handle the situation and if you are not following the rules then I have no other choice.”
Haughton says The Bellamy has experienced an influx of complaints and have also been threatened over the situation. “Everyone who works in this office is human, and we should not have to worry about threats at our place of work,” he says. “This is a temporary inconvenience, and unfortunately we can’t control it.”
For anyone who has any concerns, questions, or statements on the matter, The Bellamy plans to hold a townhall meeting about the situation. Management, the construction crew and anyone else involved will be present. The Bellamy management says the plan is to hold the meeting the week before spring break. If you are interested in attending, please watch out for information on The Bellamy Instagram page at @bellamydahlonega.
