This building, located at 2409 Arthur Ave., is currently projected as the future site of Jamel Kizel Architects and Engineers student housing project. Samuel Joseph/The Ram
By Laura Sanicola
Arthur Avenue may have a different look by the summer of 2015. This past August, Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers filed permits for the construction of a new student housing building on Arthur Avenue. The building, located at 2409 Arthur Ave., is next to popular Italian restaurant, Ann & Tony’s.
According to Dean Russell, assistant dean of students and director of residential life, Fordham has no involvement or affiliation in the project’s development. This leaves potential for it to house students at other colleges.
As reported in an article by the New York YIMBY, Bayside developer AB Capstone plans to build 64 student apartments in a “more modern, glassy space” above the two story brick retail store. The developer states that it hopes to attract primarily Fordham students. The base will be congruent with the surrounding buildings, however, the new, modern section will stand in stark contrast with other apartments and stores on the avenue.
Kaitlin McWha, GSB ’17, feels this is a mistake.
“If it is student housing, it has to be safe,” McWha said. “It doesn’t matter that it isn’t Fordham housing. There needs to be security. It will be a glossy beacon of newness – this makes it obvious that Fordham students live there. We will become a crime target.”
The idea of housing that is not exclusively accessible to Fordham Students does not bode well for McWha. “Fordham students hardly have any interaction with college students in the surrounding area, and I don’t want to live with people other than Fordham students,” she said. “People won’t feel comfortable with that. It’s weird.”
Though many are concerned about overcrowding of housing due to a large freshman class, some students are excited about potential new space. Monica Sobrin, FCRH ’17, is one of thsoe excited by the possibility of off-campus housing catered toward Fordham students.
“It’s likely that given the way the building is built, primarily Fordham students will live there,” said Sobrin. “Fordham students living cohesively off-campus — that’s something I’d like to see through to completion.”
“People have the perception that the Bronx is filled with piranhas, and I’m sick of it,” said Joanne Drawbaugh, GSB ’17. Drawbaugh is interested in moving off campus in the near future. “Who wouldn’t want to live in a newer, nicer building in the Bronx?”
Though the building is located in a Residential 6 district of medium density, the classification of student housing by the city zoning code as a “community facility” will enable the developer to build a higher density project than normally allowed.
The apartments will exist in a 31,101 square foot space that will be separated into rooms around the size of traditional college dormitories.
A premature but relevant issue regarding the new student housing project is how the size and newness of the living space will translate into the cost of a lease.
“If I’m paying for a smaller dorm space than those of surrounding apartments, I don’t expect to be paying more than my neighbors,” said McWha. “The cost would have to be significantly less than that to live in a residence hall for me to consider moving into a shared space.”
Drawbaugh would live in the new student housing building regardless of its cost. “In the end, it will all come down to accessibility,” she said. “It’s a matter of preference, but I would always choose quality of a building over size as a student living off-campus.”
The developer estimated that the existing structures would be set for demolition in September, but as of Sept. 24, 2014, the permit plan has been disapproved and the Development Challenge Process is currently pending zoning approval. If all goes as projected, the project should be completed by the summer of 2015.
Laura Sanicola is The Fordham Ram Assistant News Editor.
