Between Aug. 1 and Oct. 23, the Albuquerque Police Department said it received 47 calls concerning possible criminal activity at Valley View Villas, formerly known as The Cottages of New Mexico. Reports often consisted of loud parties, vandalism, residential burglaries, auto thefts and shots fired.
That number, however, is far lower than it was when the property was under previous management, said Maureen Lannon, senior vice president for marketing with Pierce Education Properties.
Still, one of the clauses in the residential area’s lease is causing concern for residents’ safety.
“You agree that we do not promise, warrant or guarantee the safety and security of you, your guests or your personal property against the criminal actions of other residents or third parties. Furthermore, we shall not be liable for any damage or injury to you, your guests or your personal property or to any person entering,” the clause reads.
Lannon said, as is standard in the “multi-family industry,” the lease includes a variety of disclaimers that are “meant to ensure that residents take responsibility for their actions and legal commitments.”
“The safety and security of our residents is of utmost importance to us, and we have and will continue to provide best-in-class security protocols at Valley View Villas,” she said. “However, it is up to our residents to be aware of their surroundings and make the good decisions. We are here for our residents. We have improved security measures within our community and plan to continue to raise the bar.”
Pablo Garay, a junior radiology major at UNM, has lived at Valley View Villas since they opened, because he said he wanted to be closer to the University and have a living experience at a college-style community.
“So far, my experience has been pretty great; the parties are fun when they aren't out of hand, facilities are modern but need to be maintained, security needs an upgrade, management has been understanding on any issue I have had and have solved any concern or complaint I've made known to them,” Garay said.
Garay said the community has been welcoming since day one, even hosting a focus group with representatives from the property’s corporate office so residents have a way to voice any concerns they may have.
Paige Vargas, a senior strategic communication major, had a different experience. She said she also started living the complex with her best friend in August, but called her time at Valley View Villas “so-so” and went on to expand on that.
“I do not like to attend parties, because fights always break out and the cops tend to get called a lot,” Vargas said.
She referred to the gym as “a hot mess,” and “a bit intimidating,” without cleansing wipes and fully functioning or properly placed equipment.
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Vargas said community-building events are planned at the last minute, while she said the staff appears “untrained” and are often uninformed when she asks questions. Instead, she said they ask her to speak with someone of a higher ranking.
“Their manager is extremely rude. Not only have the CAs walked into my unit without knocking, but the manager has done so as well, without an introduction until after further questioning,” she said. “He had questioned me, and after a while, he finally told me that he was the manager, and I tried to shake his hand to have a proper introduction, but he walked away from me.”
Garay said he signed a lease with the previous manager of the property and disagrees with the clause in question.
“Yes, we have the responsibility of protecting ourselves, and that's everywhere once we go off to college,” he said, “but we do pay for security, so I think they could play a huge part in protecting us.”
Garay said, as far as his personal experience, he had an issue of vandalism in the third week of living at Valley View Vistas. The response was not reassuring.
“I felt unsafe just because APD didn't do anything to help my situation and I felt like what happened here didn't matter to them. My response from them was, ‘You live at The Cottages, what do you expect?’ It wasn't what I wanted to go through, especially being a new resident,” he said. “But I came here knowing somewhat what to expect, because of the media.”
Garay is referring to when the property first opened its doors in August of 2014 as The Cottages of New Mexico. It wasn’t long before the property developed as less-than-suitable reputation, with UNM going as far as to say that, despite the community tailoring itself to student living, it is not affiliated with the University in the way that Lobo Village is.
Garay said his particular situation involved people that weren't residents, so making sure who comes into the community should be important.
“Safety should be a No. 1 concern, and it could definitely be improved,” he said. “Although I do not expect them to guarantee my safety, they tried to reassure very much so that it was safe when I took a tour.”
This included telling Garay there would be a courtesy guard on call, as well as guards that make rounds in the office.
“But every time I have tried to rely on this, it fell through,” he said, adding that either the courtesy guard did not answer his phone, or Garay could not find the guards that should have been in the office when he waited over 30 minutes.
Vargas said, she has felt fairly unsafe, during her time at Valley View Villas.
“There have been multiple fights. One was at my backdoor, and for a week or two, the blood was on the sidewalk and door step,” she said. “It was not a comforting thought to think that was right at my back door.”
Vargas said she has had people knock repeatedly on the windows, and the gates have been broken for a while so people can just “waltz in.”
“I don't like walking around at night on the weekends, because there are always people walking around looking for parties, and there are usually fights somewhere around the corner,” she said. “I know I can't rely on the guards to prevent this.”
Apart from her plans on traveling abroad and graduating soon, Vargas said she does not plan on living at the complex next year, because she does “not feel very comfortable living there because of the crowd it draws in that causes these issues.”
Vargas said anyone looking into finding a new home should research it as much as possible.
“I feel as though corporate does not care about the residents or even their employees, and that that's why there are so many issues. I do hope to see a positive change about this in the future,” she said.
Garay said he plans on continuing to live at Valley View Villas, as he has “loved” living there, regardless of the vandalism issue. But he added that there are other factors at play.
“I do know my experience isn't the same as people who have lived here longer than me because they have seen ‘The Cottages’ and the ‘Valley View Villas’ phase,” Garay said. “I've spoken to some of those residents, and their concern is that security, community events and management have declined. It is new management, so for now I'm patiently looking forward to what the future holds for this place.”
Since Pierce Education Properties took over management of the property, there have been fewer calls to the police, Lannon said.
She said other changes, such as hiring a 4/7 on-site executive director, a leasing and marketing director and Resident Services to live on the grounds have also been implemented.
Two APD officers, who walk the premises, and 16 community-building assistants have also been hired to live on-site, while staffing changes increased availability, management awareness and security, she said.
As first responders, APD is able to access the property when necessary, via an access code provided to them. Other safety measures have been added to the property, including gated entrances only accessible with resident-issued key fobs and educational safety events.
“We intend to establish Valley View Villas as the premier student housing community serving the students at the University of New Mexico,” Lannon said.
Elizabeth Sanchez is a reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Beth_A_Sanchez.
