Influx of students affects more than campus

It is no secret that Oregon State University is in the process of a unique transitional growth period. However, changes that were expected to only influence the OSU campus are now seeping beyond the border of Campus Way, and the Corvallis community is feeling the effects of these changes.

As of late, Oregon State is expected to increase its student population size from "30,000 to 35,000 students as of the year 2025," according to the Oregon University System website. While students have been feeling the stress of these increasing numbers as new buildings are constructed around campus and new professors are added to faculty, Corvallis has its own cosmetic changes to attend to.

A new townhomes housing project, not far from the outskirts of campus, is officially underway. The new development, nestled amid 29th Street, Tyler Avenue and Polk Avenue, is replacing what used to house World War II era apartments. The new townhomes will be a "five-building structure" consisting of an inner section that "allows for parking, landscaping and a children's play structure," said Ed Stanton, contractor with E&M Constructors and prime contractor for the building project.

These townhomes are expected to be built to cater to not only young families, but will also be of interest to students as a prime real estate option for "student housing," according to Stanton.

It is no doubt that students will be attracted to these new townhomes, as "many ideas are being incorporated into the construction that students thought would be needed," Stanton said.

The project interest and initial consulting only dates back to June 2011. Before any real action took place by the developer or E&M, research went into the "feasibility to determine what the wants and needs of the university students and how economically that can be achieved," Stanton said.

While the previous World War II era apartments were historic, they were not a part of the three historic districts in Corvallis. Instead, this land was private property and "the decision to demolish the apartments is that of the property owner," according to Jared Voice, a planner with the City of Corvallis Development Services Division.

This lack of city-acknowledged historic ownership is why "no public process was required prior to building demolition," Voice said.

Previous tenants of the apartments were "formally notified in October of the construction project," Stanton said. "Property managers assisted in the relocation of many of those tenants."

While questions have arisen regarding how this new housing will affect the mortgages of surrounding neighbors as well as more minute issues, like where all these new residents will park their cars, Stanton adheres to the notion that these new townhomes will only benefit Corvallis and the surrounding area.

"Project housing parking is internal to the (structure)" and the architectural design provides what Stanton promises to be "street appeal to the neighborhood."

While demolition for the project is underway, meaning the World War II era apartments are already in the process of being eradicated, Voice said the building permit applications are still pending and under review.

Regardless of the intended demographic of the new townhomes, it is difficult to miss the correlation between an expected increasing student population on campus and the new means to deal with this influx of students. Along with the goal of reaching a student population size between 30,000 and 35,000 students by 2025, other OSU goals seek to "promote economic development and social progress," according to the OUS website. These townhomes are the start of just that.

Kelly Ward, staff reporter

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