Last week the Common Council refused the Alexander Co.'s request to rezone Acacia House fraternity, 222 Langdon St. The proposal would have allowed renovation and construction of Vesta Apartments on the parking lot behind the frat house. Vesta was to have 18 units, some with as many as four bedrooms.
For weeks, a Vesta sign by the site has proclaimed, "Now leasing for Aug. 15, 2009." The message is repeated on the Contacted by Isthmus, Hees directed questions to the Alexander Co., which has not responded. Brenda Konkel of the Tenant Resource Center sees "nothing wrong" about signing leases for an apartment that doesn't yet exist: "Technically, they could potentially get something approved and built by Aug. 15. I doubt it." Konkel adds that, given the council's action, any building that gets built is unlikely to match current floor plans. "It's misrepresentation then, for sure," she says. "Whatever somebody looked at when they signed that lease isn't going to be what they're going to get." At press time the sign and homepage still advertised "new construction" apartments with as many as four bedrooms. The floor-plan webpage changed this week to show apartments only in the existing Acacia House, none with more than three bedrooms.