I am shocked to hear that Hungry Chuck’s is in jeopardy of being torn down. What’s equally shocking is in its place, a new residence facility would be constructed by BLVD Equities, owned by a Syracuse alumnus, Jared Hutter. One would think that as a Syracuse alumnus, Mr. Hutter would understand the cultural significance Chuck’s has to the student body. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, as Mr. Hutter has proposed replacing the bar with an 8-story “mixed use building” of mostly residential apartments.

This is concerning because for most students, living in this proposed space would be too expensive. The previous property Mr. Hutter developed on campus, U-Point, is priced at $1,019.00 per monthly installment, before utilities and parking. This, for the average student, is out of reach. They are knocking down an iconic bar for a luxury housing project that only a small section of the student body could afford.

Moreover, by knocking Chuck’s down, the remaining bars on campus would likely become more overcrowded. This would cause more students to look off campus for drinking options. This is not something that SU should condone, as students would likely look to Armory Square bars as an alternative, something that is out of walking distance. This could increase the amount of DUI incidents on campus for students driving to and from the bars, making the campus less safe.

Additionally, by limiting the amount of on-campus bar options, students would have fewer places to drink legally, causing more students to drink in unregulated areas. At bars, students can be cut off by the bartender if they are too inebriated and be escorted out if they are disruptive. Off campus, this wouldn’t be the case. There would be less oversight and less safety.

Finally, the construction of this facility would violate zoning laws as The Daily Orange stated in its Jan. 17 article. The project under zoning laws would require 227 parking spots. The developers want to lower this to zero. This would create more problems for a campus that already lacks sufficient parking for students. The argument put forth that many “SU students don’t bring cars to campus” is backed up by no research and should be ignored by Syracuse City Planning Commission.

SU doesn’t need more luxury apartments. What it needs are safe, regulated spaces like Chuck’s for students on the cusp of young adulthood to come together.

Charles Mastoloni ’17

Renee Crown Honors Program

Political Science Major, History Minor

 

Published on January 30, 2017 at 1:33 pm