Student Housing

[waterloowarrior]

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa/campus+student+housing+plans+residents/9522510/story.html

Ban all off-campus student housing plans, residents say
Purpose-built student housing degrades traditional residential neighbourhoods, associations fear
BY DEREK SPALDING, OTTAWA CITIZEN FEBRUARY 18, 2014 8:13 PM

OTTAWA — Neighbourhood associations across the city are calling on Mayor Jim Watson to freeze all plans by universities to build off-campus residences while the city creates a student-housing strategy.

Ten associations representing thousands of residents signed a letter sent to Watson and several city councillors Tuesday afternoon in yet another plea to stop what they call the increasing degradation of traditional residential neighbourhoods.

There needs to be a “comprehensive approach to ensure that student housing is integrated into our communities in the most thoughtful and constructive manner possible,” the letter states. “This is necessary to ensure the character of our communities and ultimately that of the City of Ottawa is not further undermined.”

Councillors already temporarily banned housing conversions in several wards to stop developers from buying up single-family homes near post-secondary institutions and converting them into crammed student dorms. Conversions are a problem for residents who now face regular noise, garbage and parking problems.

In addition to conversions, schools like the University of Ottawa continue to build off-campus housing. Just hours before the letter was sent Tuesday afternoon, the U of O made public its plans to move ahead with a 169-bed student-housing project on Henderson Avenue. Located between Somerset and Templeton streets, the four-storey $17-million building is opposed by residents of Sandy Hill, who say the off-campus development will draw more noise and other nuisance issues to their neighbourhood.

The university also reached out to possible private partners in December, asking for other sites the school might be able to build. It wants to construct 1,000 new residence units in the next few years to accommodate its growing student population.

Sandy Hill is already strained by an influx of students living in crammed units.

Private developer Viner Assets also has plans for a 630-bed student housing project in Sandy Hill. Plans for the nine-storey, mixed-use building at the corner of Laurier Avenue East and Friel Street require rezoning approval from the city and an amendment to the Sandy Hill Secondary Plan to allow for the additional height.

The planning committee will consider the application next week, which could be a much more contentious issue now that residents have asked the city to act.

Watson would not comment about the letter that was sent late Tuesday afternoon.

“The Mayor receives hundreds of pieces of correspondence every day ... He won’t be able to comment thoughtfully until he reads the letter,” his press secretary Ryan Kennery wrote in an email.

Members of the neighbourhood association Action Sandy Hill have long demanded the school not build any off-campus housing and have fought against new private developments. They say the university’s announcement Tuesday is just another example of how the school is not listening.

“They’re still not planning for new residents on campus and we think this is an abrogation of their responsibilities to have growth in student population without accommodating their students,” said Bob Forbes of Action Sandy Hill.

Work on the Henderson Avenue project is scheduled to begin this summer. The building will consist of single bedrooms with a shared kitchen on each floor. Shared bathrooms will accommodate up to two or three residents each and there will also be common space provided on the first floor of the building.

Forbes and members of the other associations who signed the letter are hopeful a strategy will receive support on council. Several politicians told the Citizen they like an idea floated by Coun. Rick Chiarelli in November when he called for a plan that would limit the number of people who can live in one home within an area surrounding Algonquin College.

The College Ward councillor wants to create a perimeter around the campus where new regulations will only allow room rentals in licensed homes that must be limited to one kitchen, one common area and up to four rooms.

Councillors Mathieu Fleury, David Chernushenko and Diane Holmes all said they at least supported their counterpart’s idea when they first heard about it, indicating his ideas could be applied to other campuses. As Chiarelli proposes, he would create a demerit point system to keep track of homes with regular nuisance property problems.

If specific addresses get too many points, the owners will not be permitted to rent the following year, according to the idea Chiarelli borrowed from other Ontario communities like Oshawa and Windsor.

Licensing the homes in specific areas would give city bylaw officers the ability to conduct inspections, while the demerit point system aims to regulate the behaviour of tenants, which could ensure that landlords police their own properties.

[email protected]

Twitter.com/Derek_Spalding

[S-Man]

I don't recall students being viewed as lepers before just recently, despite Ottawa's long history of post-secondary institutions.

What's the deal with this?

[Urbanarchit]

I'd like to know all of the community associations and people who signed for this. I'm shocked at how much hatred there is towards students.

There needs to be a “comprehensive approach to ensure that student housing is integrated into our communities in the most thoughtful and constructive manner possible,” the letter states. “This is necessary to ensure the character of our communities and ultimately that of the City of Ottawa is not further undermined.”

What a load of crock. You want to preserve the character of your neighbourhood and think that by doing so you'll do the same for the City of Ottawa?

In the Ottawa Sun article, an argument against the residences on Laurier was that it would "force out professionals living in Sandy Hill." I don't by that, but if you're so worried why not build new condos (along Rideau) for these professionals in your neighbourhood and some students?

Being a student, I feel so unwelcome... There was a man who said he didn't want to see students living in Hintonburg, as well, completely unaware about how students are a part of the creative class that made Hintonburg the interesting and desirable neighbourhood it is. Forcing students and young people out is a form of gentrification and homogenization that will take away any semblance of the area being interesting.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by defishel

Being a student, I feel so unwelcome... There was a man who said he didn't want to see students living in Hintonburg, as well, completely unaware about how students are a part of the creative class that made Hintonburg the interesting and desirable neighbourhood it is. Forcing students and young people out is a form of gentrification and homogenization that will take away any semblance of the area being interesting.

Amen to that. Student housing is so negatively perceived by NIMBYs despite the amazing boost it can give.

Look at Kingston. They have the highest # of restaurants & bars per capita in the entire country, and an extremely lively traditional downtown (quite rare in Ontario's smaller cities), both attributable almost entirely to the large student population. It also boosts & complements tourism--tourists spend money in the summers, students spend money in the same places in the winter. It allows many businesses to remain profitable all year round while creating a positive feedback effect that encourages more students & more tourists.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by defishel

I'd like to know all of the community associations and people who signed for this.

Action Sandy Hill is probably the ring leader of it all. They complain about just about everything.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Amen to that. Student housing is so negatively perceived by NIMBYs despite the amazing boost it can give.

Look at Kingston. They have the highest # of restaurants & bars per capita in the entire country, and an extremely lively traditional downtown (quite rare in Ontario's smaller cities), both attributable almost entirely to the large student population. It also boosts & complements tourism--tourists spend money in the summers, students spend money in the same places in the winter. It allows many businesses to remain profitable all year round while creating a positive feedback effect that encourages more students & more tourists.

Can we point this out to the community associations and other — (I'm sorry, but I'm low on words to describe these people)?

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

Action Sandy Hill is probably the ring leader of it all. They complain about just about everything.

They mentioned them, but it sounded like there was a slew of community associations supporting this. I paid $20 to the HCA to be a member for 5 years, and if I found out they're supporting this ban of off-campus student housing than I want a refund because I don't want to support them.

[waterloowarrior]

I live in a student area and it can be annoying at night that you have to close your windows sometimes...

But in terms of general annoyances I find the drunk people, noisy parties and litter no worse than the 8AM Sunday morning lawn mowing, home chop-shops, lawn/parking/fence by-law wars, and the inconsiderate dog walkers of the burbs

In any case it's people zoning and the City could run into some human rights issues.... licensing is a bit different but could still be challenged by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (see Waterloo)

[Aylmer]

Why can't we just ban everyone under 30?
We could just birth 30-somethings from that human-battery-pod-machine from the Matrix.

Problem solved

[gjhall]

Guys, be reasonable! Clearly all these people moved into Sandy Hill before the university opened! Right? Amiright? Anybody? This thing on...

But seriously, my parents are in their 60s and 70s and they moved to Sandy Hill after retirement because it's a lively neighbourhood, near downtown and the Market where they could also have a single family home. Has noise ever bothered them? Sure. But as my mom says of the Action Sandy Hill crowd:

"Where they never young? Did they never have fun?"

Perhaps more can be done to improve the relations betweens students and other residents, but this is a lousy way of doing it.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by gjhall

Guys, be reasonable! Clearly all these people moved into Sandy Hill before the university opened! Right? Amiright? Anybody? This thing on...

There must be some people who are 166 years old, right? It's possible that these people never had a fun time when they were younger. Maybe that's why they hate the students - it's because they're jealous of all the fun they missed out on.

[S-Man]

Action Sandy Hill is probably the ring leader of it all. They complain about just about everything.

Sandy Hill comes up the most times if your do a Google News search, but the other signers-on should give people pause that this isn't strictly a one neighbourhood kind of thing.

Students live everywhere, especially near downtown, and there are tons in my neighbourhood. In a 6-block area - roughly - I can only recall seeing two really wild parties that spilled out onto the street. The rest of the time, the place is damn quiet.

Go into Orleans or Kanata and you're just as likely to be the same distance from a summer house party (parents being away) from time to time. I really couldn't imagine being a cheerleader for this ban-the-students idea while still claiming to be taking the moral high ground.

Seems to me it's more like a selfish, personal-quality-of-life argument wrapped in a convenient 'we care about the whole city' cloak. Not unlike that Besserer Street condo building a few years back,where the condo board in the new building was trying to get the nearby homeless shelters to move away.

Hey, you're the one choosing to move to Cumberland and Besserer! Do your homework, don't complain after the fact, and stop expecting the world to conform to your concerns once you've moved into the joint.

Over the past few years I've seen this sentiment more and more in Ottawa, and it paints a cold, elitist picture of the capital's residents.

[peteotown]

University of Ottawa reveals plans for new student residence

OTTAWA, February 18, 2014 — As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the student experience, the University of Ottawa will invest more than $17.5 million in a new student residence. This project is part of the University’s Destination 2020 strategic plan, and will help attract, host and keep the best students in the nation’s capital.

The University’s plans revealed today are for a four-storey residence on Henderson Avenue, behind the future Advanced Research Complex. It will include 169 single rooms, a kitchen on each floor and common spaces on the ground floor.

“Living in residence is one of the key elements in the rewarding experience we want to offer our students,” said Marc Joyal, vice-president, resources. “That’s why we’re investing the money and effort needed to increase the number of places so more students can live in residence.”

As in its other residences, the University will offer an array of support services for students living in the new building. Students will also be able to take advantage of all the resources the University offers on campus, such as mentoring, counselling and academic support.

“A student residence is more than a place to sleep and eat. Research shows that students who live on campus have more chances to meet other students, find the resources to help them succeed academically and personally, and better integrate into the university community,” said Joyal.

Work should begin in early summer. Building this new residence on Henderson Avenue will help the University meet its goal of adding nearly 1,000 places in residence over the coming years, in addition to the current 3,000 places.

Highlights

• A four-storey residence on Henderson Avenue, between Somerset and Templeton streets (on land belonging to the University, behind the future Advanced Research Complex)
• 169 single rooms; bathrooms shared among two or three residents
• A kitchen on each floor
• Common spaces on the ground floor
• Concrete structure with brick exterior
• A self-funded project managed by the University’s Housing Service
• Estimated project cost: $17.5 million
• Work begins: summer 2014

source

[Buggys]

It sounds like the signatories of the letter are primarily against further intensification in their single-family-home neighbourhood. The students are brought into the picture, because of Sandy Hill's proximity to Ottawa U and the university's role in many of these intensification projects. There is additional ammunition for this letter because these intensification projects are not from any old developer -- they're from the university, which is taking the innovative path of building student housing away from lands that the university owns. In this sense, the university is like a new breed of developer, going in there to destroy all that is good about their quiet little neighbourhood.

Apart from the intensification that's horrifying the homeowners, an interesting twist is whether residences on non-university-owned lands will be more expensive, due to the commercial landowner/builder. Recall that Carleton U studied a similar university/private residence-building venture, and decided they'd rather leave the middleman out.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Buggys

It sounds like the signatories of the letter are primarily against further intensification in their single-family-home neighbourhood. The students are brought into the picture, because of Sandy Hill's proximity to Ottawa U and the university's role in many of these intensification projects. There is additional ammunition for this letter because these intensification projects are not from any old developer -- they're from the university, which is taking the innovative path of building student housing away from lands that the university owns. In this sense, the university is like a new breed of developer, going in there to destroy all that is good about their quiet little neighbourhood.

Apart from the intensification that's horrifying the homeowners, an interesting twist is whether residences on non-university-owned lands will be more expensive, due to the commercial landowner/builder. Recall that Carleton U studied a similar university/private residence-building venture, and decided they'd rather leave the middleman out.

I think you are right in your assessment of their motives.

The fact is that the University is growing and students need to live somewhere. I actually agree that cutting up huge Sandy Hill houses into ad-hoc dorms is not desirable, but part of the solution is allowing more actual dorms to be built. By arguing against both they are being very hypocritical.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

So, the neighbours want the university to build residences on the already crowded university campus.
There is one drastic way to achieve this . The province can expand the campus by expropriating nearby property on behalf of a provincial institution, the university.
This provision is in the Ontario Expropriation Act.

http://colauttilaw.com/Publications_files/A%20PRIMER%20ON%20EXPROPRIATIONS%20IN%20ONTARIO.pdf

One should always be careful of what one wishes for, as one may actually get it.

[1overcosc]

^ Drastic? Queens has been doing this regularly for years, most recently in 2009 when they expropriated an entire block of 150-year old housing & tore it all down to build a new athletic facility.

When was the last time (if ever) U of O expropriated land to expand its campus?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

So, the neighbours want the university to build residences on the already crowded university campus.
There is one drastic way to achieve this . The province can expand the campus by expropriating nearby property on behalf of a provincial institution, the university.
This provision is in the Ontario Expropriation Act.

http://colauttilaw.com/Publications_files/A%20PRIMER%20ON%20EXPROPRIATIONS%20IN%20ONTARIO.pdf

One should always be careful of what one wishes for, as one may actually get it.

Expanding the campus makes sense. Does U of O not purchase neighbouring houses? This is usually a long term strategy for universities boxed in by residential areas. e.g. Queens recently expanded into an area where they had been accumulating houses (and subsequently renting out to students) for 30+ years.

[OTSkyline]

Doesn't OttawaU own most of the old run-down houses on King Edward? If so that would be the perfect place for "intensification" and new student residences... King Edward is very "ghetto" and rundown at the moment..

Imagine a newly redeveloped King Edward from Somerset to (at least) Laurier.. with wide sidewalks, benches, a good bus route going along KE, and a variety of 6-8-10-12 story buildings all along. Including some coffee shops, a park, and some pubs/patios for summer.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

[QUOTE=OTSkyline;6459312]Doesn't OttawaU own most of the old run-down houses on King Edward? If so that would be the perfect place for "intensification" and new student residences... King Edward is very "ghetto" and rundown at the moment..

Imagine a newly redeveloped King Edward from Somerset to (at least) Laurier.. with wide sidewalks, benches, a good bus route going along KE, and a variety of 6-8-10-12 story buildings all along. Including some coffee shops, a park, and some pubs/patios for summer.

QUOTE]

from the uottawamasterplan website---resources--24 recurring themes....

Theme #21
"Overtime King Edward should become a new and active campus spine."

People here on this forum who often have many constructive ideas how things can progress in Ottawa should really post their ideas on the blog at that site.