We could not help but notice the full page ad taken out in your paper by Aspen Heights student housing company and were saddened our beloved Maneater has such low standards for which they sell their space. However, we get that times are tough. While one may recognize Aspen Heights from its well-funded advertising campaign around town and campus, we assume most of the new faces on campus do not know much about our new corporate-driven governing entity. Thus, we feel it our responsibility to let you know how Aspen Heights came to Columbia.

In September 2011, 200 families discovered they only had a few months to find a new place to live when news broke that the Regency Mobile Home Community was the location for a new student housing project. The situation was far worse, as the owner was closing the park regardless of any sale. Students on campus quickly mobilized in opposition to the rezoning. But on Nov. 21, the City Council approved the rezoning 5-2, ignoring Columbia’s Planning and Zoning Commission’s denial for rezoning, citing the “human element” as an issue by a unanimous decision (7-0).

As our community’s intensity grew, Aspen Heights claimed it was only attempting to provide for the students, but many of us at MU felt differently. More than 1,100 signatures were collected from faculty, staff, students and alumni opposing the rezoning and construction of Aspen Heights. After this pressure, Aspen Heights saw that it would have to grease the wheels of bureaucracy if it was to get its way, so a proposal was put forth to provide moving expenses for the residents if the rezoning was approved.

This turn of events reframed the City Council’s decision. Now a yes vote to rezone the property was a positive thing because residents’ moving expenses would be paid, whereas a no vote would leave the residents homeless because the owner of the park was closing it regardless. The city staff now claimed it was supporting the displaced by voting to rezone the property because they were to receive a moving allowance. Either way, the poor had to go!

Here’s how the math plays out: Aspen Heights offered an $1,800 moving allowance for single trailers and $3,000 for doublewides. If we assume that Aspen Heights had to pay the maximum amount, they would have paid $600,000. The rezoning of the land allows for 936 bedrooms with room prices varying from $499 to $599/month, which means Aspen Heights will collect more than $5.6 million from Columbia residents in a year. Suddenly, the $600,000 “investment” doesn’t seem too steep.

The city claimed its hands were tied, and evicted 200 families from their homes. Aspen Heights has continued the tradition of violating ordinances the previous owner of the land initiated and the city has done nothing. And to top it all off, there are reports by those evicted from Regency of never receiving their money from Aspen Heights. What we can take from this little foray is that the residents of Columbia are sacrificed for corporate profit, and the beasts are hungry.

Here is something for students to consider: aspiring journalists may want to seek out previous residents of Regency to see how they are doing today. What difficulties had they had to endure over the past year? How many are homeless? How many residents actually received the moving allowance promised to them? What has the city done to ensure these payments were made? What about Aspen Heights?

Aspen Heights espouses revolutionizing student housing, and they are well on their way. Columbia’s City Council sings a pro-business, profit-focused song, and they become more in-tune with every decision. Beware, you could be next. You might want to keep that free T-shirt handy to wave as a flag of solidarity in case your residence is next on the chopping block.

—Breanna Manning and contributors
citizensofcolumbia@gmail.com