Proposed student housing project explained

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

November 15, 2007

Anonymous The Press Republican Thu Nov 15, 2007, 11:30 PM EST

United Realty wants to take over former St. John's High School, has similar projects in other cities

By JOE LoTEMPLIO

PLATTSBURGH -- The developer of a proposed student housing project in Plattsburgh says the company enlists a strict policy toward drinking and smoking.

"There will be no smoking or drinking on the premises. We have zero tolerance for that," John Ball, chief operating officer of United Realty Management Corp. of Albany, told city councilors Thursday night.

United is proposing a 400-unit student housing development at the site of the former St. John's High School on Broad Street right next to the Plattsburgh State campus.

Each four-bedroom unit would have two bathrooms, a full kitchen and a common living room area. Telephone, cable television and internet service are also provided.

Security provided

The development would feature on-site management and security around the clock.

Ball, who visited the council at the request of Mayor Donald Kasprzak, showed councilors drawings of the plan, which looked very similar to Macdonough Hall on campus.

A final proposal will be submitted to the council in about two or three weeks, Ball said.

The project has drawn great interest in the Center City as residents there continue their fight against unruly behavior by college students living off campus.

Some are concerned that adding more students to the Broad Street area will not help the situation.

Per-unit limit critical

Some also support a proposed law change in the city that would reduce the number of non-blood related people living in a unit from four to three.

Ball reiterated his claim that such a reduction would sink United's plans for the St. John's property.

"We just can't do it if we take 25 percent of our revenue away," he said.

Ball said his company has done several similar student housing projects in places like Albany and Rochester, and they have been successful with hundreds of students on waiting lists.

He explained that the units are very tightly run to ensure security and safety.

"You would be absolutely amazed at how they (students) keep the rules when they know they can't live there if they don't," he said.

In addition to the strict no-drinking and no-smoking rules, visitors must sign in and will only be allowed to stay for 48 hours each week.

All units will be same-sex and students can be evicted for violating city or school policies.

"This brings students closer to campus and under stricter rules," Ball said.

Councilor Amy Valentine (D-Ward 5) wanted to know how United did their marketing research for the project.

Ball said they calculated the number of students and the number of housing units available in the area and figured the market could sustain a new housing project with as many as 800 units if necessary.

He said the project would likely take students out of the Center City area.

"History says that it will draw off the bad housing in a community if there is bad housing," he said.

Students will probably pay around $650 to $700 per month for rent at the project.

Ball said Plattsburgh State President John Ettling has pledged his support for the plan.

"Colleges have to compete for students and this helps the college attract students," Ball said.

Ball said that if all goes well, he hopes construction can begin next July, and the project can open to students for the fall semester of 2009.

jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com