The college recently purchased four houses on West Street with hopes to provide more housing options for students near campus.
The college bought houses located at 240, 244, 246 West St., and also 16 W. College St.
Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé said the administration has no plans for the houses immediately, but eventually they would like to provide more housing for college students.
“We have more students living off campus now than would be ideal because enrollment and retention are so good. More students are having to move off campus sooner than would be typical,” Péwé said. “When students want to be around here, we try to make sure we have the housing.”
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Women Diane Philipp said the administration would like to provide more housing closer to campus.
“History shows us that most students do want to live as close to campus as possible,” Philipp said. “When a house comes up for sale in a good location in close proximity to campus and is priced affordably, the college typically will look at it and may consider purchasing the property.”
Philipp said the administration has received positive feedback from students of off-campus houses owned by the college, and expects that if more houses were acquired, they would not have trouble filling them.
Péwé mentioned though that the college must consider city zoning laws as they look at properties. The Delta Tau Delta’s fraternity house, located on Fayette Street, was not zoned for student housing, but Péwé said the city has been helpful and fair in negotiating zoning.
Zoning Administrator Alan Beeker explained that some city residents try to purchase houses close to the college to rent to students; however, a RM-1 district — the zone designated for multiple residential for single families — surrounds the C-1 district which includes necessary zoning for college facilities and housing. Beeker said he is working with the college to help alleviate the limitations of the RM-1 district.
“One of the ways that it can happen with some of the properties that the college has purchased is to have them rezoned so they are C-1. Another way is to actually change some of the allowances within the RM-1 district so that within the RM-1 district, student housing would be allowed. That is actually being presented to the planning board decided – but nothing has been decided,” Beeker said.
Péwé said that purchasing the four houses will help them in their plans to make the West Street entrance to campus “at some point more grand for visitors, prospectives, and donors. We want to improve the areas
