JBJ: FSCJ student housing in Downtown aims to build community

Jacksonville Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2015/11/20/fscj-student-housing-in-downtown-aims-to-build.html

The school, which is looking into putting 60 beds and a café run by culinary students into the long-vacant building at 20 W. Adams in time for its next fall session in 2016, said that the demand for student housing at an affordable price point is present and, in fact, ever-growing.

"If you look at those community colleges across the state and country that are investing in student housing, you'll find the common denominator that there's demand," Vice President of Student Affairs Chris Holland said.

That demand is particularly large in areas like the urban core, where no student housing options exist.

"In the Jacksonville community, we have a lack of affordable quality student housing in the urban core area," Vice President of Student Affairs Chris Holland said. "We have a growing population that's looking for student housing."

The monthly rent for studios and one bedroom apartments at The Carling, 11 E. Forsyth and new developments like 220 Riverside in Brooklyn are much higher than the price point FSCJ is suggesting, which is in the range of $750 and includes utilities and wi-fi. It's also in line with the costs at dorms at theUniversity of North

Florida, according to Executive Director of Institutional Innovation Erin Richman.

"Students will find this very attractive at this price point. It's affordable and inclusive. It also gives them an opportunity to be in an exciting part of Downtown," Richman said.

Although most of FSCJ's students are from the area, the college also has a growing international student population that don't have a natural housing option.

"The international students are often the ones who immediately flock to an option like this," Holland said.

Holland and Richman said the student housing also seeks to grow a sense of community within the student population. Institutions of higher education tend to retain more of their students when students live in student housing.

"We don't want to just be landlords. We want to create thriving learning communities within student housing," Holland said. "We can have groups of students who live together and have programming activities or service learning opportunities."

The proximity to FSCJ's Downtown campus at 501 W. State Street was also appealing for the school. FSCJ said that proximity to JTA bus stops, especially with the unveiling of the Frequent Flyer initiative, was also an important consideration.

The culinary café, which is planned for the retail space on the first floor, also gives the ability for the school to "show off" its culinary program.

"This becomes a natural extension of the classroom," Holland said.

The school would be entering into a 10-year lease with the building's owner, Eugene Profit, who is putting a total of $4 million into renovating the space. The Downtown Investment Authority approved a forgivable loan of about $600,000 to be put towards these renovations, which is coming from the Northeast Land Trust, which will, in turn, be sent to City Council for final approval.

There may also be an expansion of student housing in the future, according to Richman, who said that this is a way for FSCJ to test the waters.

"We view this as phase one -- we would love to access other options in Downtown that makes financial sense for this institution," Richman said. "It's definitely on our radar."

Many say that student housing could also be a key piece in Downtown revitalization efforts moving forward.

"One of the things we know about development in general is retail outlets and commercial operations tend to follow beds," Richman said. "The more people that are living Downtown, the more commercial activity, and the more people who, in turn, want to live in Downtown."

Holland said that providing student housing is more than just a service – it's a way of building a student community and getting in the ground floor of an emerging trend in community colleges across the country.

"Sometimes we forget that this is not just a service or an option for students, it's a proven success measure and it's one that community colleges take note of and say 'this makes sense for us,'" he said. "It's another service we can provide to help them persist and complete their education."

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