800 units of housing eyed for Sunset area

By Scott Merzbach and KRISTIN PALPINI
Staff Writers

Published on May 22, 2009

A large, upscale apartment-style housing project for undergraduates at the University of Massachusetts campus is being proposed for a neighborhood just south of the campus, with neighbors being approached about selling their properties.

Dano Weisbord, of 138 Sunset Ave., said he recently met with James Frey, vice president of land acquisition for Edwards Communities Development Co. of Columbus, Ohio. That company is trying to secure several parcels, both developed and undeveloped, along the west side of Sunset Avenue between Fearing Street and Brigham Lane.

"What he said he would like to do, ideally, is build 800 beds of undergraduate housing," Weisbord said.

He listened to Frey's presentation and then later responded by email, noting that he would not sell his property and is against the project.

"I'm not opposed to the development of parcels, but if the university wants to house undergraduates, they should do so at the university," Weisbord said.

Frey, reached Wednesday on his cell phone, said company policy prohibits him from elaborating on the concept for Amherst.

"It's totally preliminary," Frey said "There's no definite plans.

Bill and Connie Gillen, who own a 10-acre farm on Brigham Lane and a house on Sunset, and August and Sylvia Woicekoski, who also own a 5-acre parcel on Sunset, were approached by an Edwards representative. Neither family plans to sell, however.

"We're not interested in that. The price is not right," said Sylvia Woicekoski, who added that zoning restrictions could prevent construction and that she does not expect "anything to happen for two to three years."

"Undergraduate housing belongs on campus," said Connie Gillen, who added that Frey asked the Gillens to "name their price" for the farm, which she said did not necessarily mean Frey would meet it.

James Tripp, ward public communications director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that has been on Brigham Lane since the 1970s, said the church has not been approached, but would turn it down.

"We like being here, we like being here a lot," Tripp said. Selling the church, he said, "would mean leaving Amherst and we love Amherst so it would be unlikely that we would come to any decision to sell."

<h4>UMass benefit seen</h4>

Edward F. Blaguszewski, director of news and information for UMass, confirmed that the university was approached by Edwards within the last six months to discuss the construction of off-campus student housing.

Blaguszewski said that since the university has plans to increase undergraduate student enrollments by about 2,000 people by 2025, the Edwards proposal could benefit UMass.

However, the university is unlikely to make any housing decisions within the next year or two, while officials develop a new 20-year physical master plan, Blaguszewski said. The university will soon issue a request for proposals to find a consultant to help create a long-range plan for the campus. The plan would consider construction, transportation and related initiatives, he said. Construction and housing decisions should fall in line with that plan, he said.

"To grow the campus by a number of students may very well require new student housing on university property or near the university," Blaguszewski said. "Any movement on that front would need to be tied to the master plan."

Meanwhile, Town Manager Larry Shaffer said he has been fielding calls from concerned residents about the project, which would include mostly three- and four-bedroom apartments.

"The neighbors have made it clear to me that any such effort to build housing units would be strongly opposed by a fair amount of the residents in those neighborhoods," Shaffer said.

Sunset Avenue and Fearing Street residents approached by the Bulletin supported Shaffer's assessment. A Fearing Street resident called the proposed apartment an "unsupervised dorm." Another woman on Sunset Avenue said she was concerned that the addition of student housing to a residential neighborhood would decrease property values.

Shaffer said he understands that the company is at the concept and predesign stage, and that no options have yet been executed on any properties where such housing would be built.

"I think it's strictly at the talking level at this point," Shaffer said.

Even if it moves beyond that, there are significant challenges ahead, from both a zoning perspective and from the likelihood of neighbors' opposition. "I see a lot of hurdles to the site," Shaffer said.

The units would likely be built on private land, while commonwealth-owned property would be used for the parking areas. Access to the housing would likely be from University Drive.

"Neighbors, broadly speaking, through the western part of downtown, are concerned," Weisbord said.

Weisbord noted that the zoning on the property may not support such a project. The addition of 800 students could detract from a neighborhood where all but two properties are owner-occupied homes, Weisbord said. Bill Gillen said he was told that Edwards is seeking to build a minimum of 500 units, with two-thirds of the tenants being women.

Sunset Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and Fearing Street residents have previously been vocal in their concerns about their proximity to the campus, especially the already densely populated Southwest section, where five residential high-rise towers are located. Not only are these residents impacted by the behavior of students walking back to campus late at night, but the streets have become a main thoroughfare to the university.

The town has tried to assist by installing speed cushions to slow traffic, and later this year is expected to put up Jersey barriers at the end of the streets to keep vehicles from making a direct connection to the campus.

<h4>Common development</h4>

Such upscale college student housing is relatively common in college communities across the country, and Edwards has experience developing them.

According to the company Web site (www.edwardsstudenthousing.com), Edwards has built luxury student housing buildings in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida and Louisiana, with a new project at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. The apartments can only be rented by students, include utilities and are furnished, according to the site.

Shaffer said that, built in the right place, student housing can improve the housing stock for everyone by bringing in good, responsible tenants and forcing other landlords to improve their own rental units.

"I think it's absolutely critical," Shaffer said.

The key, he said, is finding the right location for such a development. "You can't have them in places where there is conflict with traditional neighborhoods," Shaffer said.

Weisbord said the town and university should do better strategic planning to more appropriately house undergraduates.

This is not the first time this type of housing has been proposed for UMass.

In 2001, a 150-unit complex with beds for up to 500 students was brought before Hadley officials by Campus Partners Inc., of Philadelphia, Pa. The project, proposed for land on Rocky Hill Road opposite Alumni Stadium, never moved beyond the concept stage, as it immediately faced substantial obstacles, including the wet condition of much of the property, the need to tie in to Amherst water and sewer and the requirement for Hadley voters to rezone the land to accommodate it.

In 2004, JPI Development of Irving, Texas, attempted to purchase 14 acres off Rolling Ridge Road near North Pleasant Street in Amherst from the Hope Church to build about 200 units, 150 of which would have been used for college students, with the remainder set aside for affordable housing. This plan ran into stiff opposition from residents, and the developers, needing a comprehensive permit, were rebuffed by the Select Board in early 2006 before ever going in front of the Zoning Board of Appeals.