Two new student housing complexes will come to Columbia in the next year, built by Park 7 Group and American Campus Communities.

Park 7 Group, a New York-based company, is looking at the property where Bengals Bar & Grill and Casablanca Mediterranean Grill reside. American Campus Communities has looked at areas near the west side of campus.

“I mean there are different angles to think about it,” Historic Preservation Commission representative Brent Gardner said. “Obviously, it will be newer, nicer, and I’m sure they’ll charge a lot more for it. I think the location is perfect for a residential student housing to be built. I think it’s as perfect as a location as you can get.”

####Population growth in Columbia sparks new developments

Because downtown is so old, Gardner said he is concerned how adding people will affect the older infrastructure in the area.

“There’s going to be so much new housing downtown that I’m a little concerned with the infrastructure of the city being able to handle it, like the plumbing and the sewer and the water and the electric,” Gardner said.

MU and Columbia go hand in hand into the future, Off-Campus Student Services coordinator Dionne George said.

“The University of Missouri is obviously the economic engine for Columbia, so as goes MU so goes Columbia,” Gardner said.

Luxury student complexes are popping up in large college towns all over the nation, George said.

“A lot of these same companies are at other SEC schools and other large institutions,” George said. “Missouri is really on the back end of that effect, if that makes any sense. What is happening here now has already happened in other locations.”

####Increase in students enrolled at MU creates need for more housing

Aspen Heights spokesman Stuart Watkins said student housing is necessary, given MU’s large student body.

“Mizzou is a very prestigious university,” Watkins said. “When you look at the academic programs that are offered, they’re some of the finest in the country and enrollment is continuing to grow. When you have a very impressive state school, it’s always going to attract top students from across the country.”

While rent can be expensive, it depends on what is included in the price, freshman Kaley Johnson said.

“While the cost of living is never exactly cheap, the cost at The Reserve is very reasonable and manageable,” Johnson said. “All utilities except electric are also included in the price, so rent will be relatively consistent throughout the year, which is important for financial planning.”

While rent can be expensive, it’s not that difficult to take care of, sophomore Emily Jaeger said.

“(Rent) hasn’t been affecting us a whole lot,” Jager said. “It’s only once a month and it takes ten minutes. I have three roommates who pay me and then I pay the big bill, so it takes coordination and communication but it’s not a huge issue.”

In 2030, Columbia’s population is expected to be between 132,000 and 146,000 people, but the growth of MU will slow, Columbia Development Services Manager Pat Zenner said.

“What we have is a lot of student housing out there that’s going to complete its cycle at this point for construction and then it might sit, probably for years within the city of Columbia prior to this more aggressive building we’ve seen over the last two, three years,” Zenner said.

With a higher population, crime will not necessarily rise, Columbia Police Department spokesman Joe Bernhard said.

“I would say in general we have more parking complaints, more peace disturbance and theft/burglary in densely populated areas,” Bernhard said. “Increase in population does necessarily have to mean an increase in crime rates.”

Crime rates have not significantly differed in the last 20 years, though calls for the police are at an all-time high, Bernhard said.

Columbia will continue to be historic and development will boom; it doesn’t have to be one or the other, George said.

“It may turn out to be half and half,” George said. “I think development is necessary. It offers jobs, it affects the real estate, and it will affect the economy.”

There is a reason the population of Columbia and housing is increasing, Gardner said.

“Things start to happen once you get to be a certain population,” Gardner said. “So I think there will be twice as many people living here in 20 years. It’s also located between Kansas City and St. Louis, so it’s a pretty prime location for that reason.”

####New housing developments could impact historic downtown

The mix of new development and historic properties will remain steady and continue to be attractive to Columbia’s residents, Gardner said.

“It’s just the character of the town,” Gardner said. “You want to maintain the character and the feel of the city and there are reasons for that and reasons to lure people downtown for shopping. The historic feel of Columbia, the downtown part, is an important element.”

With new complexes, Columbia will have to look into how to fix the resource and infrastructure problem, Gardner said.

“I think we’ll have to start looking into solar power,” Gardner said. “A lot of these buildings are tall enough they could capture quite a bit of our sun and use that to put back into the electric grid. (Net-zero) basically means you’re bringing in as much electricity from the sun as you are using. That’s kind of a goal for a lot of cities is to have a net-zero situation.”

Gardner said solar power will be especially effective for these new buildings.

“Columbia is starting to move towards pushing for that a little bit more,” Gardner said. “If a building were able to capture enough sunlight, they might be able to power the entire building with it. That’s something that’s not being used at all, and that’s optimal.”

Students might need off-campus housing because of the lack of on-campus housing for returning students, George said.

“I don’t want to say they have to (live off-campus), but just being realistic, Residential Life cannot house 30,000 students, and so there’s a limited amount of space that Residential Life does have open for returning students.” George said.

Johnson said students do feel the need to be responsible and live on their own.

“While there are always more students coming to MU every year, (fewer and fewer) students are wanting to live on campus after their freshman year,” Johnson said. “It’s important for Columbia to provide living for these students because, it not only helps young adults start living on their own, but it also brings in a lot of revenue for the city.”

Living in the residence halls on campus have more rules than living on your own, Jager said.

“For me, I wanted to get off campus because I wanted to experience really living on my own freedom to come and go as I please,” Jager said. “I don’t have to worry about what I’m allowed to have in my apartment.”

With rising costs of living and higher rent in Columbia, the cost of rent is a concern for nonstudent residents as well, Zenner said.

“We have a housing affordability task force, we have reports that have appeared about that,” Zenner said. “We are looking at engaging different service entities and providers such as the Columbia Housing Authority as it relates to helping provide affordable housing or affordable housing options for the community.”

The city is trying to creatively create more rentable space within city limits and affordable rent because Columbia is expanding, Zenner said.

“That could open up an opportunity that instead of living in a duplex, a student could live in a sensory building on the back of someone else’s property, something like a granny flat or an apartment garage on a regular basis in the future,” Zenner said. “Those are some of the ideas of how you create affordability or create diversity with your housing mixture that we’re looking in at this point.”

Though many more luxury student complexes are popping up within Columbia, they may not be what most students want, George said.

“… All the students I’ve met with are looking for housing options under $500,” George said. “That says something because most of these luxury apartments are offering rent and services above $500.”