Construction of a new apartment building will begin Monday with the demolition of five houses at 414 to 428 W. Gorham St.
Plans to develop a six-story apartment building are being enacted after talks over affordable rent and available parking were resolved.
“The high density in the area is really beginning to have an effect on rents,” developer Mike Fisher said. “The trend we are seeing is that rent is not rising significantly each year like it used to. The increases just aren’t as high.”
The rent for the new apartment building ranges from $660 to $2200, depending on the unit. The building will be equipped with 80 apartments, ranging from studios to four-bedrooms. Each unit will have a balcony except for the studios, which will have a sliding glass door and some railing. This style of window is called a European balcony, although there is nowhere to step out.
The decision to put in balconies was one the developers put much thought into.
“Balconies are always a concern, as people can fall off them, throw things off them and generally create havoc,” staff planner Peter Olson said. “Also, the insurance for the property owners skyrockets with the addition of a balcony, but ultimately the want overrides those factors.”
The want for balconies and other accommodations are just a couple of things the developers discussed when deciding to build these apartments with students in mind.
“One nice factor about living in these apartments is that they will be new,” Olson said. “The bathrooms will be up to the handicap code, which means no more dingy, small spaces. The kitchen will also be a nice size with new appliances.”
Developers plan to have the apartments ready for occupation by the designated move-in date, Aug. 15, 2004.
Also involved in the decision to tear down the houses on Gorham was the location factor.
“We thought this would be a perfect place for a new building since it gets students close to campus without having to cross University/Gorham. Any time you get students closer to campus, it always bodes well,” Fisher said.
While the building will not have underground parking like the Embassy building, it will have 34 parking spots and a place to keep up to 130 bicycles.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said in an earlier interview that there is a greater need for bicycle and moped parking and that, by accommodating that demand, there would be less need for car parking.
In order to get the permit to build the new building, developers had to participate in several meetings, including one with Capital Neighborhood Group, the landmarks commission and the plan commission.
“There were no obstacles while trying to build this building. Hardly anyone even showed up at the meetings,” Tenant Resource Center worker Megin Hicks said. “The only real problems would have been if tenants were forced to move out before their lease was up or if the apartment building was much more expensive than the houses being torn down, but we really did not encounter any of those problems.”
There is already a lot of construction going on in the Gorham Street area, with many new buildings being erected.
“I think the area can’t be built up a lot more. We’re beginning to approach demand,” Fisher said.
