SHSU Purchases Sunrise Apartment Complex For Future Parking Lot

The Huntsville Item (Sep. 23) discusses the future of the Sunrise Apartments, located north of campus from the University Hotel:

The Sunrise Apartments once served as the home to more than 20 families, some who have lived at the beige colored apartment complex for a better part of a decade. However, the building now stands empty and desolate as it waits for the day to be torn down and the space converted into a parking lot by Sam Houston State University.

What should’ve been a smooth and painless operation between the apartment complex’s former owner Geary Ashby and SHSU, has become a growing headache for the residents — many of whom have already vacated the property, with the exception of six who still live in the building.

Former resident Glorea Cofield moved into the apartment complex in April and just recently moved out of at the beginning of September. She says residents received a letter from Ashby on Aug. 21, notifying residents they had until the end of September to move out. Residents then received another letter on Aug. 31, this time from SHSU, stating the university were taking over as the new owners of the complex, effective Sept. 1, and that residents had until Oct. 31 to move out.

(SHSU vice president of Finance and Operations Carlos) Hernandez said that no timeline has been set for the demolition of the complex or when construction will start on the parking lot, but that they are hoping to finish it by fall 2016.