A Virginia developer will submit his latest proposal for a $35 million apartment complex to the Athens Planning Commission in April, more than six years after he first set out to build on 32 acres of property off Richland Avenue.
Thomas Dowdy of Milestone Development in Roanoke, Va., hopes to receive final commission approval for his proposed 21-acre, 896-bed Campus Edge gated apartment complex near the Dairy Barn and University Courtyard. The project then would go to City Council, which questioned details of a Campus Edge design previously passed by the Planning Commission, prompting Dowdy to reconsider details of the project.
The council's main concern with the previous layout was that the project might be too dense for the hill on which it was situated, Dowdy said. He considered shrinking the project to 600 beds but found that option to be financially unfeasible, so he returned to planning the larger, 22-building project.
Prices for the 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom apartments, which will have one bathroom per bedroom, will be based on the prices of nearby University Courtyard, Dowdy said.
University Courtyard lists its monthly rent at $615 for a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment and $540 for a 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom apartment, both fully furnished.
The proposed complex will include a club house, indoor pool, workout room, study spaces and meeting rooms. Because of the complex's location, Dowdy also plans to provide each resident with a paid pass for the city transportation system.
We would like to have
of course student support on this project he said. It's a wonderful project
and it's a project that's going to give students a different option than what they have now.
Students likely will appreciate having a security guard to monitor entrance to the complex and decline admission for party-crashers who are not on a previously arranged party list, he said.
Dowdy also said he thinks the latest proposal balances students' need for quality housing with the preferences of city officials and residents, but several groups have raised opposition to the project now and in the past.
Christy Steele, president of the Ohio University Environs, said she opposes Campus Edge because she's worried the construction could disrupt water flow and cause mudslides and other dangerous environmental situations.
Steele said she plans to join members of other local environmental groups to speak before City Council if the project reaches that point.
Dowdy's plans involve following the advice of several engineers and good construction sense and leveling parts of the land by scraping off up to 28 feet of slip-prone dirt in some places to avoid mudslides.
If you're going to build
you need to build on solid ground
he said. The complex will have an underground drainage system to contain and filter run-off water.
The dirt removal process poses another set of concerns for Delia Rapp, president of the South Side Community Association. The South Side's main concern is we don't like the idea that he's going to destroy the hill
and he doesn't seem to be able to build to the terrain
Rapp said. They aren't building anymore hills
and once you completely strip a hill of all of its vegetation and rearrange it
it's done.
Through an agreement with Ohio University, the removed soil will be transferred to a piece of OU property between Campus Edge and the Dairy Barn.
Rapp said she's also concerned that Dowdy is trying to force Greenbrier Drive residents to sell him their property, but Dowdy's local real estate agent said several residents approached the developer, asking him to buy up their property.
Dowdy has agreed to purchase one of the eight or so properties on the street and is in negotiations with several other residents, said Mark Spezza of Century 21 on Richland Avenue.
