Chad Cornett, Senior Research Associate (ED) - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Mar 6, 2005

Chad Cornett, Senior Research Associate (ED)

Date: Mar 6, 2005

Here's the hidden jewel:

"When you lower the standards, then the area suffers"

Duh, isn't that what we've been saying????

Date: Mar 6, 2005

Cornett said the study does not address the impact of what adding more than 1,200 beds designed for use by university students to the housing market.

"What we did was to provide a snapshot of the market at the time of the survey," Cornett said. "We stayed out of the politics."

I have difficulty believing that politics did not motivate the study in the first place.

Date: Mar 11, 2005

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=3059981&nav=1Pw1XLIy

WDAM

Group: Apartment Survey Incomplete

The president of the Hattiesburg Apartment Owners Association questions the accuracy of a recent apartment survey by the University of Southern Mississippi.

Meeting with members Thursday at the organization's monthly meeting, Rick Speed said the survey by USM's economic development department may have included all of the area's apartment owners.

The survey indicated the Hub City could absorb up to 168 units per year. Those figures don't include two new multi-million dollar complexes approved by Hattiesburg and neighboring Lamar County.

"I know it's a tremendously hard job, he had to go to tax rolls and so forth," Speed said. "I do know of several apartment owners that did not respond to the survey, so I think the count was short."

And Speed said if Camp Shelby's mobilization status were to change, the apartment vacancy rate would definitely go up, forcing owners to make severe changes to stay in business.