There has been a lot of talk at the university lately regarding the student dorms project. The study, conducted by Sasaki Associates, is due to be completed by June 1. But how does the community feel about this incentive?

Community opinions were addressed at a recent meeting of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association (CSHCA). There were a few elected officials on hand, including City Councilor Maureen Feeney, and Senator Jack Hart, as well as several interested citizens, and some representatives from Chancellor Gora’s office.

Bill Cotter, chair of the CSHCA committee regarding UMass Boston, began the meeting with an abbreviated history of the idea of housing on the UMass campus. He spoke about the promise made in 1973 by the university, to remain a commuter campus. A promise which now seems unlikely to be kept, as the university is swiftly moving forward with housing plans. He said, “What we need to do is sit down and talk about these things and understand.”

The elected officials present each took a moment to say a few words in support of their communities. Among them was City Councilor Maureen Feeney who explained that the Dorchester community understands that times change and things change. But, she explained, “I think one quality this community holds dear is that when someone gives you their word, they keep their word.” Feeney was speaking about the university’s promise to remain a commuter university at the inception of the Harbor Campus in the 1970s.

Senator Jack Hart also spoke about the impending introduction of dorms at UMass Boston. He expressed his thanks to the neighborhood people present at the meeting. Hart spoke about his concern with the university’s process of investigating the feasibility of dormitories and the impact the dorms will have on the community. He also discussed the chancellor’s premature statement of support from himself and some other elected officials. “We never said that we supported this project,” the senator clarified, and added that he cannot support the project because he doesn’t know what the future of UMass and the neighborhoods around the university could be.

Gail Hoban, a representative from the university, spoke next and read a statement from the chancellor. In that statement, the first mention of a community impact study was made. The community impact study will begin after the Sasaki Associates feasibility study is completed on June 1.

After the chancellor’s statement was read, Bill Cotter, the chair of the UMass committee of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association said that the promise of a community impact study was “wonderful news” and they “appreciate those sentiments.”

The featured speaker of the evening was a man named Paul Berkeley, a representative from the Allston/Brighton Civic Association. Berkeley, a lifelong resident of the Allston/Brighton area described the long history of university development in that area. That one portion of the city is home to many students from area universities. Boston University, Boston College, and Harvard University all have university owned housing in the area.

Boston University and Boston College both began as commuter schools like UMB. When those universities began to integrate housing into their college programs, the demand to be at the school was pressed onto students attending the schools. Essentially, as Berkeley described it, the schools quickly became residential schools and the housing supply soon fell short of the housing demands. It was then that the students began filtering into the Allston/Brighton neighborhoods. Allston businesses lost out to the kinds of places one can see lining Harvard Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue: restaurants, bars, and junk furniture stores. The residents don’t patronize their local businesses as often because they can’t find what they need.

“We have made progress, things have gotten better,” Berkeley stated, “but we have had 25 years of pain.” He urged the Dorchester community members present to take ownership of their current and similar situation before it’s too late, something that the Allston/Brighton communities failed to do in time.

Berkeley also spoke of the fact that the institutions they are dealing with in his neighborhood have a lot of power, money, and political connections. After the short history of the Allston/Brighton situation, Berkeley fielded some questions from those present at the meeting.

Bob Donovan, the president of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association asked about the relationship between enrollment and dormitories. Berkeley replied that none of the institutions in his neighborhood had beds to match their enrollments, there is always an overflow into the surrounding community. Since, in many cases, students can afford to split the rent between several people, families are pushed out. The vacancy rate grew last year, but it is still modest, it went from an almost invisible 2% last year, to between 5 and 6% this year.

“We’re going to have students in our neighborhood forever,” Berkeley said. He also added that in some cases the housing offered to students on campus is almost as much money as living off campus, with an average rent of $600 per bed in the outlying areas, and the prices only go up the closer you get to the institutions.

Another resident asked what sorts of studies have been done to assess the impact of students on the neighborhood. Berkeley responded by saying that the Boston Residential Authority has conducted a few studies. Those studies say that there are 25,000 students out of 75,000 residents in those areas, basically one out of every three residents, is a student. Berkeley also added, “When you live in the neighborhood you don’t look for studies so much as you just open your eyes and look around.”

Other concerns addressed at the meeting were the possible increase in binge drinkers into Dorchester neighborhoods and one woman’s recollection of how easy it is for underage drinkers to “get the college kids to buy for you.” Another community resident asked Paul Berkeley what the universities in his area are putting back into the communities. After a moment of silence, the resident said, “It scares me that you’re thinking and can’t come up with anything.”

Berkeley did come up with an answer though, he mentioned that jobs have been created due to new businesses and that those businesses also contribute to the local economy. Sometimes the universities send tutors to local elementary schools. “But when you put it all on the scale of what they’ve gotten from you and what they give back,” he said, “it’s still tipped in their favor.” There has been a lot of talk at the university lately regarding the student dorms project. The study, conducted by Sasaki Associates, is due to be completed by June 1. But how does the community feel about this incentive?

Community opinions were addressed at a recent meeting of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association (CSHCA). There were a few elected officials on hand, including City Councilor Maureen Feeney, and Senator Jack Hart, as well as several interested citizens, and some representatives from Chancellor Gora’s office.

Bill Cotter, chair of the CSHCA committee regarding UMass Boston, began the meeting with an abbreviated history of the idea of housing on the UMass campus. He spoke about the promise made in 1973 by the university, to remain a commuter campus. A promise which now seems unlikely to be kept, as the university is swiftly moving forward with housing plans. He said, “What we need to do is sit down and talk about these things and understand.”

The elected officials present each took a moment to say a few words in support of their communities. Among them was City Councilor Maureen Feeney who explained that the Dorchester community understands that times change and things change. But, she explained, “I think one quality this community holds dear is that when someone gives you their word, they keep their word.” Feeney was speaking about the university’s promise to remain a commuter university at the inception of the Harbor Campus in the 1970s.

Senator Jack Hart also spoke about the impending introduction of dorms at UMass Boston. He expressed his thanks to the neighborhood people present at the meeting. Hart spoke about his concern with the university’s process of investigating the feasibility of dormitories and the impact the dorms will have on the community. He also discussed the chancellor’s premature statement of support from himself and some other elected officials. “We never said that we supported this project,” the senator clarified, and added that he cannot support the project because he doesn’t know what the future of UMass and the neighborhoods around the university could be.

Gail Hoban, a representative from the university, spoke next and read a statement from the chancellor. In that statement, the first mention of a community impact study was made. The community impact study will begin after the Sasaki Associates feasibility study is completed on June 1.

After the chancellor’s statement was read, Bill Cotter, the chair of the UMass committee of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association said that the promise of a community impact study was “wonderful news” and they “appreciate those sentiments.”

The featured speaker of the evening was a man named Paul Berkeley, a representative from the Allston/Brighton Civic Association. Berkeley, a lifelong resident of the Allston/Brighton area described the long history of university development in that area. That one portion of the city is home to many students from area universities. Boston University, Boston College, and Harvard University all have university owned housing in the area.

Boston University and Boston College both began as commuter schools like UMB. When those universities began to integrate housing into their college programs, the demand to be at the school was pressed onto students attending the schools. Essentially, as Berkeley described it, the schools quickly became residential schools and the housing supply soon fell short of the housing demands. It was then that the students began filtering into the Allston/Brighton neighborhoods. Allston businesses lost out to the kinds of places one can see lining Harvard Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue: restaurants, bars, and junk furniture stores. The residents don’t patronize their local businesses as often because they can’t find what they need.

“We have made progress, things have gotten better,” Berkeley stated, “but we have had 25 years of pain.” He urged the Dorchester community members present to take ownership of their current and similar situation before it’s too late, something that the Allston/Brighton communities failed to do in time.

Berkeley also spoke of the fact that the institutions they are dealing with in his neighborhood have a lot of power, money, and political connections. After the short history of the Allston/Brighton situation, Berkeley fielded some questions from those present at the meeting.

Bob Donovan, the president of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association asked about the relationship between enrollment and dormitories. Berkeley replied that none of the institutions in his neighborhood had beds to match their enrollments, there is always an overflow into the surrounding community. Since, in many cases, students can afford to split the rent between several people, families are pushed out. The vacancy rate grew last year, but it is still modest, it went from an almost invisible 2% last year, to between 5 and 6% this year.

“We’re going to have students in our neighborhood forever,” Berkeley said. He also added that in some cases the housing offered to students on campus is almost as much money as living off campus, with an average rent of $600 per bed in the outlying areas, and the prices only go up the closer you get to the institutions.

Another resident asked what sorts of studies have been done to assess the impact of students on the neighborhood. Berkeley responded by saying that the Boston Residential Authority has conducted a few studies. Those studies say that there are 25,000 students out of 75,000 residents in those areas, basically one out of every three residents, is a student. Berkeley also added, “When you live in the neighborhood you don’t look for studies so much as you just open your eyes and look around.”

Other concerns addressed at the meeting were the possible increase in binge drinkers into Dorchester neighborhoods and one woman’s recollection of how easy it is for underage drinkers to “get the college kids to buy for you.” Another community resident asked Paul Berkeley what the universities in his area are putting back into the communities. After a moment of silence, the resident said, “It scares me that you’re thinking and can’t come up with anything.”

Berkeley did come up with an answer though, he mentioned that jobs have been created due to new businesses and that those businesses also contribute to the local economy. Sometimes the universities send tutors to local elementary schools. “But when you put it all on the scale of what they’ve gotten from you and what they give back,” he said, “it’s still tipped in their favor.”