As IU students and their parents balance their budgets to weigh the economic and social living options in Bloomington for next year, more choices will be available. \nThe Kirkwood, the Smallwood Plaza and Regester Place represent an economic expansion in Bloomington that is designed to attract more students through apartment living and student-oriented businesses. \nThese "big box" housing units are expected to affect the smaller house renters market just like Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Menard's affect their respective markets.\n"Older property owners will hurt," said Patrick Connor, executive director of IU Residential Programs and Services. "New properties, even if they are higher priced, are usually 100 percent sell-outs when they first open.\n"Students want to be the first to live in a new place," he said. "Our research shows that everyone else loses."\nIU programs try to house about one-third of the student population in traditional dormitories and apartments, Connor said. Freshmen have little choice. They are required to live on campus starting this year.\n"Students choose to live on campus for convenience and the all inclusive value-added amenities," he said. "We have enough housing to satisfy our demand and are currently at 97 percent of capacity."
Dollars and sense\n"Our whole package plan is the least cost and means no utility hook-up hassles or fees," Connor said. "Students can walk to classes, the (Main) Library, computer labs, or any other on-campus support without the worry of parking."\nAccording to the IU housing Web site, a student can live in a dormitory environment for just a little over $300 per month, not including a mean plan. The only other added expense is long distance telephone calls.\nAlthough price doesn't always prove to be the ultimate factor in a student's decision to stay in or leave the dorms. \n"I did it once but never again," said senior Miranda Jordan. Another senior, Michelle Hiatt, described her dorm experience as "awful" but agreed with the others that it could be a good experience, especially for freshmen to meet and make new friends.\nThe Bloomington Chamber of Commerce filed the second quarter of 2002 cost of living index that records the average price of a two-bedroom apartment as $678 plus utilities.\nThe new housing downtown starts at about twice that amount plus the costs of some utilities.
Demographics tell the story\nWith IU officials reporting a slight drop in enrollment this academic year, the housing market could be primed for a decrease in demand. 300 fewer students started their freshman year this fall while 1,300 new downtown residential spaces will be opening within the next year. \nA windshield survey and the local housing advertisements reveal many existing places are available right now when occupancy rates should be at their highest.\nThe 2000 Census reports the total number of the Monroe County's housing units increased by more than 21 percent (41,948 to 50,846) since 1990. Meanwhile, the population grew at a rate of 10.6 percent. Housing inventory for the 2000 Census also shows almost 3,000 housing units were vacant with a 2.3 percent owner-occupied and a 6.8 percent rental vacancy rate. The figures suggest a plentiful housing supply and the rental vacancy rate is worrisome to some industry officials.\nBob Woolford, housing coordinator for the Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development Department, sees an influx of new rental units when ample vacancies exist. \n"Rather than lower rental prices, landlords leave housing empty," Woolford said. "With more housing available, it would seem that prices would go down."
A slight loss in population\nAdding to Woolford's surplus concerns are the current census estimates for Monroe County population that reveal a 0.6 percent reduction since 2000. Some of the housing development is perplexing to Bloomington city officials.\nEven in the early stages of downtown planning last fall, there was some serious concern about the need for more housing.\n"The demographics do not match the flood of development," said Marcia Donnerstein, a Bloomington Planning Commission member in reference to the vacant housing inventory. She said there may be some "fundamental disconnects" between the developers and the demographics that "could lead to deflation in the real estate market."
Students react\nFour IU design students said despite concerns, they think the downtown construction is a much needed improvement. Seniors Erin Gonterman, Michelle Hiatt, Miranda Jordan and Heidi Zoeller generally thought the projects were a great idea and would serve a mixture of people.\n"Downtown is so slow and more housing makes less of a monopoly and adds more choices. Maybe other prices will go down or a least the quality will go up," Gonterman said. She said she felt a lot of students were wasting money for the housing value they receive.\nThe Kirkwood is the "most city-like building," Jordan said. It was obvious that The Kirkwood would be the most expensive, but the seniors still thought that many students would live there. Students coming from areas with a higher cost-of-living would even think the rates were a good value.\nThere was also concern for the dorm-like feeling they got from the Smallwood complex. \n"The building's (exterior) is too clean and not appealing at all," Jordan said. Based on their dorm experiences they questioned the wear and tear with so many people living in the tight quarters.\nWhen asked if they thought most students would like to live in a dorm-like setting for all four years of college, there was a resounding "no." All four of the design students had lived in a dorm. \n"Dorms are disgusting and small," Zoeller said. \nAlthough they liked the idea of a security entrance by identification at all of the facilities, they wanted a way to facilitate resident's pizza deliveries and friendly drop-ins without having to go to the entrance to meet the visitors.\n-- Contact staff writer Gary Guffey at gguffey@indiana.edu.
