Starting in August of 2009, Syracuse University students will be able to live in a co-ed apartment complex complete with a tanning bed, surround-sound theater and a state-of-the-art fitness center.

Recently, SU has leased university property to private contractors that will build two apartment complexes to fill the housing needs of an estimated 650 upperclassman.

‘Because the two-year university housing policy will remain, the new developments will be available only to juniors, seniors and graduate students,’ said Eileen Simmons, the director of Housing, Meal Plan and I.D. Card Services.

The two contracting companies, Allen and O’Hara Development Co. and Wilsu LLC, will build and run the two new additions that are set to open in August 2009.

‘The complexes will be separate from the university, meaning that SU is not responsible for encouraging students to rent the apartments or maintaining them,’ said Kevin Morrow, the executive director of news services at SU.

While nearby neighborhoods have complained of congestion, traffic and noise caused by off-campus residents, Simmons suspects the complexes are an opportunity for students to return to campus, alleviating the problems experienced by surrounding communities.

The proposed locations are between East Colvin Street and Slocum Drive, across from the Hookway Fields, as well as between Comstock Avenue and Adams Street, near SU’s Adams Street Garage, Morrow said.

The complex on South Campus, which is being built by Allen and O’Hara, is set to be made up of six buildings, each three stories tall. Five of the buildings will be residential, while the sixth will be a recreation and study center, Morrow said.

Because the complexes will be private entities, the apartments can be co-ed, and there will be no university staff, such as resident directors or assistants, Simmons said. The Syracuse Police Department will patrol the area, rather than SU’s Department of Public Safety.

‘I think that students will eventually see the complex as an ideal living space, but I think that it will take time for it to successful,’ said Caroline Von Flatern, a sophomore economics and policy studies major.

Louis Marcoccia, the SU executive vice president and chief financial officer, said the current renovation cycle of existing halls will lead to a decrease in the number of on-campus residents.

‘The intention is to more evenly distribute the concentration of residents in each building,’ Marcoccia said. ‘We will not be increasing enrollment because we will be losing rooms in the current residence halls because of increased renovation,’ he said.

The rent for these apartments will be $4,500 and $5,000 a semester, Marcoccia said.

The apartment buildings, which will house students in two and four-bedroom apartments, will provide residents with resources exclusive to the complex.

‘The accommodations in each unit will include a washer and dryer, a shared living room and a kitchen. High-speed Internet, telephone and cable will be included in the rent, said Rhonda Johannesen, the vice president of development at Allen and O’Hara.

There will be a clubhouse that will include a fitness center, a study room, a theater with surround sound, a lobby with a fireplace and a recreation room, Johannesen said.

rseldrid@syr.edu

Published on March 25, 2008 at 12:00 pm