Agenda - Planning Commission - 09/07/2017

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Meeting and Beating the Challenge of off -Campus Student Housing By Dwight Merriam, FAICP One way to start a spirited discussion of the problems of off -campus college housing is to offer that it always seems to come in a fixed ratio of eight guys/four cars/two kegs. But the glib purported "ratio" ofguys-cars-kegs says too much and too little at the same time. Indeed, while speaking on the issues in Utah I was told: "Here in Utah, you can pretty much skip the 'two kegs' part." It also says too little because, of course, it is not just young men, but women who choose off -cam- pus housing. And most of the students living off -campus conduct themselves responsibly and make good neighbors. Off -campus private student housing can be a real positive in maintaining and enhancing the attractiveness of an educa- tional institution and meeting the demand for housing when colleges might not have the wherewithal to provide it. Problems inevitably ensue when no one plans for private -market housing. Colleges fait to partner with their host communities or, even worse, neglect their responsibility to provide housing, and college towns do noth- ing to meet the housing demand. Off -campus student housing is good for all stakehold- ers, if it is done properly in the right place. Though the challenges are great, off -campus student housing problems can be eliminated and prevented with the right planning, carefully thought-out regulation, effective enforcement, and continuing cooperation and coordination between town and gown. THE DEMAND FOR HOUSING There are nearly 5,00o two- and four-year colleges in the United States and more than 20 million students (U.S. Department of Education zo17). Most college students com- mute to campus (Snyder and Dillow 2015, Table 311.10). Many live off campus to save money (Gordon 2015). A dozen schools do not have an off -cam- pus housing problem because 10o percent of their students live on campus. Among them are the service academies. Many oth- ers, such as Harvard and Bennington, have nearly all their students living on campus. At the other end of the spectrum, there are over 3o colleges with no on -campus housing, including Cooper Union in New York, Louisiana State University -Shreveport, and the University of Michigan -Dearborn (U.S. News & World Report zo17). Everyone there lives off -campus, commuting from home or living in private -market housing. THE ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE Room and board now averages about $12,000 (College Board 2017). That is more than $1,30o a month, often for a shared room (raise your hand ifyou shared an on -campus room with at least one other person), common bathroom, and a fabulous, gourmet dining experience in a relaxing communal setting. Now take eight students and combine their room and board money —you have more. than $io,000 a month to bid against the local economy for housing and food. Medi- ans, means, all manner of statistics mean tittle given that many of these off -campus housing markets are geographically small, but Zillow reports that the average rent for a four -bedroom house ranges from $1,195 in Missouri to $4,000 in New York, which includes New York City. Even if our students only paid half of their pooled room and board money for housing, they could still easily outbid the highest average. These are averages. Boston University charges $15,27o per academic year for a shared room with the required meal plan (zo17). Get eight BU students together and you unleash $122,000 of rent -bidding and food -buying power on the community. Take half of that for housing, and you have $61,00o to spend, more than $5,00o a month. What "normal" household can com- pete with that? Student homes and on -street parking in the South Student Neighborhood near the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. ZONINGPRACTICE 8.17 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 2