Wednesday September 5, 2001

New apartment complex tentatively scheduled for 2003

A new apartment complex for graduate students is tentatively scheduled to open in Fall 2003, said Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life and University Housing.

In the meantime, graduate students looking for housing should contact the office of Commuter Student Affairs in the Student Union, he said. The office provides students with information on off-campus housing, including rates and the availability of roommate-matching services.

The new complex will replace Christopher City, a 305-unit apartment complex for graduate students and families that was torn down in June after toxic mold and asbestos were discovered in some units.

Christopher City was the only graduate-student housing available through the university. Two hundred-seventy students living in the complex were forced to find alternative housing until new graduate student apartments can be built.

However, Van Arsdel said the department reimbursed students for the difference between housing costs at Christopher City and rent at their new homes. He also said that ousted Christopher City residents were given a moving allowance.

Christopher City was a 65.89-acre property located at 3401 N. Columbus Blvd., several miles from campus.

The new complex will be located closer to campus, between Euclid Avenue and Tyndall Avenue, adjacent to the new parking garage on Euclid and across from Coronado Residence Hall.

The property is now a surface parking lot, which Van Arsdel said is not being used because of construction along Tyndall.

The new complex will consist of apartment-style units designed for single graduate students. Although Christopher City housed both single graduate students and those with families, Van Arsdel said the new apartments are, "really designed for the needs of single students."

Housing for graduate students with families is planned for the near future, Van Arsdel said. However, Residence Life's plan to relocate families to a building at 1010 E. Tenth St. fell through when the owner of the property, Tucson Unified School District, decided not to sell.

Van Arsdel said TUSD "just decided it was no longer interested (in selling the land to the university)."

The Christopher City land sold for $8.55 million at auction. Van Arsdel said part of the money was used to demolish the complex and abate the asbestos found in the apartments. $900,000 was used to help Christopher City residents relocate.

Portions of the money were also used for the cost of rezoning Christopher City to draw more profit from the sale and to pay off outstanding debts the university owes on the property.

After all costs are deducted from the total of the sale, Van Arsdel estimates $5.5 million remains to dedicate to building new graduate and family housing.

However, Van Arsdel said it will cost "much more" to construct the new graduate student housing, estimating the final expenses at more than $17 million.

The $5.5 million available from the Christopher City sale will be spread between the two building projects, and the rest of the funding will come from a public/private agreement.

Van Arsdel said according to such an agreement, a private housing developer will cover the majority of costs in constructing the new graduate apartments.

While most details regarding the style and number of new apartments are still undecided, Van Arsdel said the new residence hall will likely consist of 150 units, housing 225 to 250 students.

"But those numbers are still up in the air," Van Arsdel said.

The developer will provide design, financing, construction and will eventually control management of the property. The developer maintains managerial control of the complex for approximately 30 years. Van Arsdel said this is typically the amount of time it takes a developer to earn back its investment.

Although UA does not guarantee tenants for the new apartments, Van Arsdel said private developers are still willing to invest in the venture.

"They do it knowing that there is a market for their product," Van Arsdel said.

Contracts have not yet been signed between UA and a developer, however Van Arsdel said negotiations are being held and a decision is near.

He said that a public/private arrangement is instrumental in the ability of the university to provide graduate student and family housing soon.

"It makes it possible for us to do this in a financial environment where it would otherwise be impossible," Van Arsdel said.