Family housing to move closer to UA

Randy Metcalf Arizona Daily Wildcat An unidentified child plays at Christopher City park yesterday. The UA plans to replace the housing conditions at Christopher City with apartments on or near campus. The project won't take place until at least the year 2001.

The UA plans to replace Christopher City, 3401 N. Columbus Blvd., with two complexes - one of which may be built on the parking lot next to Coronado Residence Hall, said Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life. Officials are still searching for a second site.

"I think that we can be sure people will have to leave university housing (Christopher City)," Van Arsdel said. But residents will not have to move out until the new facilities are built, he said.

Van Arsdel said Residence Life has been instructed by Joel Valdez, vice president for business affairs, not to "spend a lot of additional money to renovate the whole place because we know it's going to go."

Residence Life officials said they instead kept the rent at the complex low. A two-bedroom unfurnished apartment rents for $480 a month, including utilities.

"Rent at Christopher City has been low because for many years residents have indicated that this issue is important to them and the condition of the facility has not been worth people paying more," Van Arsdel said.

Rent at the new apartment complexes, however, will be higher than at Christopher City, he said. The source of funding for the construction has not yet been decided.

"There is a common sense reality that if we are going to spend X-million dollars (on the new apartments) then it's going to add to the cost of rent," he said.

Patrick Walsh, a resident and theater graduate student, said low rent is the reason many chose to live at Christopher City.

"If you had to get a three or four bedroom (apartment) somewhere else or at a higher cost, it might make it difficult to go to school," he said. "That would be a shame especially for those graduates with families."

Free utilities account for 35 percent of Christopher City's budget, Van Arsdel said.

The complex was built in the early 1960s at a time when power was virtually free, he said. As a result, none of the apartments have a meter for gas or electricity.

"There are no consequences for energy wasting," Van Arsdel said. "We're paying an incredible amount of rent money for utilities."

Outdated utilities are not the only thing that makes Christopher City expensive to maintain or renovate, he said.

Undersized sewer pipes cause backups, and the grass is mostly dead and yellow because of a dry well that makes it economically unfeasible to water the grounds, he added.

The new facilities should be "much more functional for meeting the needs of students," Van Arsdel said.

But some Christopher City's inhabitants have grown attached to the complex.

"I guess for graduates it's nice because you don't feel like you're on top of everybody else," Walsh said.

The culturally diverse population at Christopher City is another nice aspect, he said.

Resident Leron Mercer said he understands the need to build a new housing complex.

"It's good (here) and all but it would probably be better if the built another place," Mercer said.

Van Arsdel said plans call for the apartments near Coronado to house people without children. The second site, not yet located, would house families.

"Just because we don't have a site doesn't mean we're not thinking about it," he said.

Residents are also concerned about accommodations for families with children.

Toni Barrow, director of Christopher City's preschool, said she does not know if an on-site preschool would be available at the new facilities.

"I would be out of a job if Christopher City was torn down and so would my teachers," Barrow said.

Van Arsdel said plans for a preschool have not been set.

"It's certainly something we've thought about and want to provide, but given the kind of process this is, you never know if anything is going to happen until it has happened," he said.

The Christopher City location may still be used if no other site is found.

"If we can't locate something on or near campus, there is a chance we would develop apartments on the site of Christopher City," Van Arsdel said.

Michael Lafleur can be reached via e-mail at Michael.Lafleur@wildcat.arizona.edu.