More than beds: area housing fit for kings

This article is part of the Daily Trojan‘s supplement issue, “If you build it, will they come?” This semester’s supplement focused on the impact of the new Ronald Tutor Campus Center and University Gateway apartment complex, both of which will open this fall.

Katherine Lewin thought she had found the perfect housing solution.

Leon Russo | Daily Trojan

Lewin, a freshman majoring in communication, wanted to live somewhere that was safe and convenient, and the new University Gateway apartments seemed like the perfect solution.

But her decision came at a high price.

“It’s way too expensive,” Lewin said. “I never would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t so close to campus.”

Lewin had to lobby her parents to convince them that the $1,170 a month they would pay for her spot in a two-bedroom apartment was worth it. They agreed to let her live in Gateway only because of its security and close proximity to campus, she said.

Gateway, the new housing complex on the corner of Figueroa Street and Jefferson Boulevard, is the latest high-end housing project to spring up near USC’s campus. As the number of students coming from far away has grown, the demand for convenient housing has increased, and housing developers have been working to give students options that will serve their needs.

Gateway certainly does succeed in increasing the number of housing options near campus. But with its going monthly rate of $1,064 per bed, Gateway also succeeds in perpetuating the trend that has been painfully visible in the campus area for years — safe, convenient and well-kept housing is available, but only to those willing to pay.

Six years ago, CDI Management bought several properties on 30th and 29th streets and turned those buildings into The Mirage, The Spot, The Pointe and The Place, all well-equipped, high-priced housing options. Westar Housing also owns a number of high-priced, luxury complexes around campus, including Chez Ronnee, Habitat Soozee and Tuscany, which opened four years ago near the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street.

“We’ll rent to any student who wants to rent,” said Charlie Haggard, Westar’s chief operating officer. “But our target market is people who are looking for higher end.”

These luxury housing complexes offer students many benefits — from fitness centers and study rooms to enhanced security and easy access to campus. But many students find themselves forced to choose between affordable housing and the amenities offered by Gateway and its high-class counterparts, often sacrificing comfort and safety to save money or, conversely, sacrificing their paychecks for the sake of an enviable living situation.

Jarod Wunneburger, a senior majoring in sociology, has lived in USC Housing for three years. For his senior year, he was hoping to find his own room close to campus, but those requirements left him with few options.

“It was eye-opening to realize that if you want to be in one of the nicer apartments, it’s easily going to be two grand,” he said.

This luxury housing trend has developed largely because the number of students living near USC has grown faster than the number of beds available through USC Housing. Though the university recently expanded its offerings enough to guarantee two years in USC Housing to freshmen, its 6,800 beds sell out every year, and there is a long way to go before USC can guarantee housing for everyone.

Because demand for safe, comfortable housing exceeds what USC can provide, students must look elsewhere. And often, the options that offer safety and comfort are not cheap.

Keenan Cheung, director of USC Housing, said the university is working to eventually be able to guarantee housing for four years, but until then, USC has little say in trying to reverse the high-class housing trend.

“You have to realize that these places are for profit,” Cheung said. “They’re a little different model than we are … Our job is to supply what is needed for the student.”

Though some students have suggested that USC should step in to control the rising prices of off-campus housing, Cheung said there is little the school can do.

But the university hopes the Master Plan, once it gets underway, will help solve the housing problem.

The first phase of the Master Plan, which is currently awaiting city approval, involves razing and reconstructing the University Village, Cardinal Gardens and Century apartments. Ultimately, the Master Plan would add 5,200 beds to the USC area.

And even if those added housing options end up being more upscale than other area options, USC’s Associate Senior Vice President for Real Estate and Asset Management, Kristina Raspe, said the new units will be priced according to USC’s existing model.

Still, not all of those 5,200 new beds will be owned by USC. In determining the number of beds to add, the Master Plan includes non-USC owned housing complexes that meet certain standards — places like Gateway.

“The Master Plan definitely takes into consideration the building of Gateway,” Raspe said. “It was part of the planning process and is in line with the university’s plan for growth.”

Even if the Master Plan does help alleviate the pressure on the USC-area housing market, the project will not break ground until at least May 2012.

In the meantime, many students are left to choose between quality and affordability, and some say this has affected their time at USC.

“If you can’t afford the housing around USC, it definitely hurts your college experience,” Wunneburger said. “You definitely lose out on being part of the Trojan Family.”

Laura Cueva contributed to this report.