Spring Break
The Daily OrangeLocal residents raise concerns with new dorms
By Lauren Migaki
Posted: 10/31/07, 1:22 AM EST Section: News
A few dozen Syracuse residents gathered in Goldstein Student Center Tuesday night to voice their complaints about the possible construction of five privately funded dormitories on South Campus.
Residents in neighborhoods surrounding South raised concerns about the prospect of more construction in their neighborhoods. Their chief worries were the elimination of "green space," increased traffic and increased drainage problems. They also questioned the fate of the duplexes in the Southeast neighborhood in which many students currently reside.
Large trees would be cut down in the construction process, while spans of open land would be eliminated, driving the concerns over decreased "green space."
"I don't understand why the university is taking away 'green space' when they're for sustainability," one resident said during the forum.
The proposed housing project, tentatively planned to break ground in the spring, includes five residential facilities and a recreation facility. The buildings would be luxury apartments, reserved for upperclassmen only.
In this privately funded project, Syracuse University would lease the land to Allen and O'Hara, the commercial construction company that proposed the project, for about 40 years. The facility would be maintained and managed by the company while in compliance with SU's housing regulations, creating a hybrid alternative for students.
Each residence hall is slated to be three stories high and built 30 feet from East Colvin Street. The facilities would house a maximum of 432 students and would have parking spaces for three-quarters of its residents. The estimated price per bed - including utilities and other services - would be about $750 per month, considerably more than most off-campus housing options.
Many residents felt that the buildings might be an eye-sore because they would be so close to the road. They agreed that the architecture and materials used on the building should replicate the style of houses in the neighborhoods.
Residents in neighborhoods surrounding South raised concerns about the prospect of more construction in their neighborhoods. Their chief worries were the elimination of "green space," increased traffic and increased drainage problems. They also questioned the fate of the duplexes in the Southeast neighborhood in which many students currently reside.
Large trees would be cut down in the construction process, while spans of open land would be eliminated, driving the concerns over decreased "green space."
"I don't understand why the university is taking away 'green space' when they're for sustainability," one resident said during the forum.
The proposed housing project, tentatively planned to break ground in the spring, includes five residential facilities and a recreation facility. The buildings would be luxury apartments, reserved for upperclassmen only.
In this privately funded project, Syracuse University would lease the land to Allen and O'Hara, the commercial construction company that proposed the project, for about 40 years. The facility would be maintained and managed by the company while in compliance with SU's housing regulations, creating a hybrid alternative for students.
Each residence hall is slated to be three stories high and built 30 feet from East Colvin Street. The facilities would house a maximum of 432 students and would have parking spaces for three-quarters of its residents. The estimated price per bed - including utilities and other services - would be about $750 per month, considerably more than most off-campus housing options.
Many residents felt that the buildings might be an eye-sore because they would be so close to the road. They agreed that the architecture and materials used on the building should replicate the style of houses in the neighborhoods.
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