A new off-campus apartment complex designed for UB students is one step closer to reality.
Thursday night, the Town of Amherst's planning board approved a re-zone of 10 acres of land across from Sweet Home High School for a complex, which will house 828 students.
American Campus Communities, the same company that built both Hadley and Flint Villages, will be developing the property. However, it will not be affiliated with UB like Hadley and Flint are.
"We feel we will be an excellent addition to that neighborhood," said Sean Hopkins, a representative of American Campus Communities, at the planning board meeting.
Projected to cost $25 to $35 million, the complex will have 10 buildings, 72 two-bedroom units, 160 four-bedroom units, and 36 one-bedroom units. Each unit has a bathroom for each person. The complex will also have a community center.
The proposed demographic that the complex will serve is graduate students and upperclassmen, Hopkins said. A shuttle service will be offered to North Campus.
Jason Wells of American Campus Communities described the complex as an intermediary between structured dorm living and regular apartments. The complex will staff resident advisors to assist with security in the units.
"This applicant has an excellent track record with this type of project," Hopkins said. "It's going to get done and it's going to get done right."
The developer manages 22,000 beds in student-centered properties. It owns 16 housing projects, according to Wells.
Board member Debra Norton worried that 828 students across from a high school area would be inappropriate without being under the control and regulations of the university. The board agreed that the developer should work with university police to avoid security problems.
Other board members said they recognized UB's need for additional housing.
"I think that there is a dire need for student housing," Jerry Schoenle, another board member said.
Only one community member objected to the proposal, citing concerns over students walking on busy roads and proposed the developers work to create a safe walkway or bike path.
Many students said they felt that more student housing options were needed.
Sara Danielewicz, a freshman undecided major, said she felt more available apartments could lead to lower rents in the area.
"Demand for apartments exceeds the need," said Teresa Steenburgh, a junior English and philosophy major.
Jarret Stahl, a junior electrical engineering major who currently lives in Hadley Village, says he lives on campus for the convenience of walking to class.
"As long as I can walk (to campus), I don't have a problem with it," Stahl said.
The Amherst Town Board will hold a public hearing in the near future to make the final decision as to whether the project gets the green light.
The future of the project is contingent upon Town Board approval. If the project is approved, American Campus Communities plans to begin building in August.
Completion is currently set for fall 2005.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
