YSU Housing complex to make its debut

The $22 million project is the largest residential development in Youngstown in nearly a decade, officials said.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Charles Gray remembers his days living in a residence hall at Northwestern State University in Louisiana.
Countless men shared a common bathroom with four showers and six toilets.
So, when he saw companies building student-only apartments, he knew they had struck gold.
"When I saw this trend first starting in the mid-'90s, I thought, 'This will definitely catch on,'" Gray said. "And it has."
Gray anticipates that student apartment living will also catch on in Youngstown, where Ambling Development Co. of Georgia has built University Courtyard apartments at the east end of Youngstown State University.
Gray, who works as property manager, said each bed in the roughly 130 units is leased, meaning 408 YSU students will fill the two buildings come next week's move-in dates.
But first, the complex will be officially opened as members of the university community, local politicians and other YSU supporters gather in the Smoky Hollow neighborhood at 10 a.m. Thursday to dedicate the apartments.
One university spokesman said he expects a crowd of about 200 at the event, which is open to the public.
The $22 million project is the largest residential development in Youngstown in nearly a decade, YSU officials said.
They said it will help YSU's recruitment efforts and act as a catalyst in the rebirth of Smoky Hollow.
'Good for the area'
Gray, who has also worked at Ambling developments near a Missouri junior college and at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., said he watched the first student apartments in Natchitoches lead to a building boom. The growth also meant a trickling-in of restaurants to the rural area.
"I see that same trend happening here," he said, adding that he receives phone calls and inquiries from passers-by who say the apartments are "beautiful" and "good for the area."
K.J. Satrum, executive director of student services at YSU, called the apartments "cutting edge" and a welcome addition to the residence halls on campus. Structural difficulties have been overcome, she said, and landscapers are working to overcome problems with recent rainy weather.
Bill Sperlazza, YSU's director of student housing, said the privately run apartments have alleviated the overcrowding that has burdened the five residence halls in recent years.
YSU was able to close Wick and Weller houses for renovations this coming year. Students are no longer tripled up in double rooms, and reading lounges in Lyden House are no longer being used as rooms, Sperlazza said. Further, the university is no longer housing students in Liberty Township.
Though the University Courtyard apartments are full, Sperlazza said there are still openings in the campus residence halls; call (330) 941-3547.
Amenities
Monthly rents in the new apartments are $415 per person for a four-bedroom/two-bathroom unit, $495 per person for two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and $600 for a single unit.
Rent includes electric, local telephone, cable TV, high-speed Internet access and full furnishings. Each unit has air conditioning and its own water heater.
The complex is exclusively for the use of YSU students and features computer labs, study rooms, game room, fitness center and basketball and volleyball courts. Other features are card-key access, panic buttons in each bedroom and security devices on first-floor windows that alert YSU police.
YSU leases the property to the nonprofit University Housing Corp. Ambling is developing the project with local help from the A.P. O'Horo Co. of Youngstown. Other major partners include the YSU Foundation, Bank One and Mahoning County.
Gray said the apartments offer the ideal transition between living at home and moving on to full independence.
"It's like when they're learning to ride a bike. You let go, but you're still right here," Gray said. "Mom and Dad are letting their kids go, but my hands are there. ... We're there to try to catch them and just make sure they don't fall."
viviano@vindy.com