170 residents of a new student housing development on Old Greenville Highway remain unable to move-in after weeks of construction delays. Supply-chain bottlenecks, labor shortages and a holdup in city inspections have caused the delay, according to the developer.
Cambridge Creek, the sixth property in the Clemson area managed by Tiger Properties, have told residents their townhomes should be ready by Sept. 12. Residents have been given rooms at the Comfort Inn on Tiger Boulevard, along with free storage units for their belongings and a one-time rent credit.
Some residents, including Nayoung Kim, a junior mechanical engineering major, feel like this is not enough.
“My feelings on this are, well, I am mad. I was mad and I am still mad,” said Kim.“I don’t have the environment to study for my college classes. It’s a 2-star hotel, which isn’t the worst, but it is so dark and just doesn’t feel like the real college experience.”
Kim, along with other residents, were first told on Aug. 5 that there was a chance of a delay. Cambridge Creek insisted that everything was still on schedule for residents to move-in on Aug. 14 and they were just planning for the worst.
“We are on track to finish construction prior to your move-in date, but due to backlogs for city inspections, it is possible that our construction completion will be slightly delayed on your building,” wrote Cambridge Creek in a letter to residents acquired by The Tiger.
However, just two days before moving in, residents were then told that move-in was now delayed to Aug. 29. Cambridge Creek again attributed the delay directly to City of Clemson inspectors.
The City of Clemson, however, denies that this is the case. The city maintains that all inspection requests have been, on average, fulfilled within 24 hours.
“The city has worked very closely with the developer and gone the extra mile to make multiple inspections on the same day,” said Todd Steadman, director of Planning and Codes for the City of Clemson. “Any delays in certification are because the buildings failed inspection.”
Steadman explained to The Tiger that the city is licensed and required by state law to enforce the building code, which has little wiggle room.
“The city has not ever held up a project for any reason other than it is not completed,” said Steadman. “We have not had a backlog.”
Residents were also informed that rooms will be double occupancy, meaning two roommates will share one bedroom. If residents have a third roommate, one will receive a private room at random.
Five days before the delayed move-in date, Cambridge Creek told residents the homes were still not ready. Progress was made on utility work and landscaping, butthe units had still not been inspected and were not finished.
“We think you will be able to move into your townhome on or before Sunday, September 5,” wrote Cole Oraham of Tiger Properties in a letter to residents.
However, Oraham later announced on Thursday that the move-in date would be again pushed back by another week. The new move-in date is now Sept. 12.
“We expect this will be the final delay notice,” wrote Oraham in a Thursday letter to residents. “We are deeply sorry, and never thought that COVID issues, weather issues, and city manpower issues would create the perfect storm of delays.”
The reason for the third delay by Cambridge Creek is a result of the shingle overhang on some of the units being larger than allowed by the city, according to the developer.
Cambridge Creek also announced an additional $300 rent credit for residents, increasing the total in one-time credits to $800.
However, the city explained that the property still remains an active construction site.
“There’s stairs torn out. They have a lot to complete,” said Steadman. “5 buildings were certified today out of 21 buildings. There are 11 to go, but 5 aren’t started and probably won’t be done until the end of the year.”
While the move-in date is now Sept. 12, the buildings for at least 27 units have yet to be built, according to the Cambridge Creek site plan and a visual inspection of the property. Many buildings lack a paved road to access them, including those towards Berkeley Drive.
“We are disappointed that the project was not completed prior to our planned move-in date, but as everyone knows, undertaking a project the scale of Cambridge Creek in normal circumstances has risks,” wrote Cole Oraham to The Tiger.
Cambridge Creek continues to advertise new leases starting on Sept. 7 and 15, remaining “optimistic” that they will be welcoming residents to the property on time.
Update at 12 p.m. on Sept. 2: This article was updated to reflect an additional delay issued by Cambridge Creek to residents earlier today. The projected move-in date is now Sept 12, one week later.
Update at 6 p.m. on Sept. 2: This article was updated to add comment from the City of Clemson regarding statements from Tiger Properties. The City of Clemson denies that there have been any inspection backlogs or delays.

Gallery • 1 Photos

Photo courtesy of Sydney Westphal

The road in Cambridge Creek remains unpaved in parts while the homes near completion, as photographed earlier this week.