Each week I get calls from anxious parents scrambling to find suitable housing for their current or soon-to-be JMU students. "We need your help to find a place for our son/daughter and three of his/her best friends." That may seem odd; the fact that they need a place for four instead of one, but once you take a better look at the situation, it makes perfect sense. If you try to find a decent place for a single student you have but a few options (especially if they have actually come to Harrisonburg to be a serious student and need a quiet place to live and study). They could live in the dorms, but getting a spot could be an issue and not everyone can handle the dorm environment. Shared bathrooms, crowded and often noisy hallways, and the ever-constant lines for everything from books to food can make living on campus slightly less than desirable. Don't get me wrong; JMU does a good job of taking care of its students and is a great campus to live on. It's just that there aren't enough housing units for all of its 17,000 plus students.
City fathers say we don't need more student housing units. They say that there are over 1000 units in the pipeline now and that more such development will just mean empty and failed projects. I wonder how many of these units that our city leaders have actually seen from the inside out. I wonder if they would allow their own family and friends live in some of these units. It can't be all about the numbers. After all, 17,000 student housing units for 17,000 students does not mean that all units are created equally.
Some parents are really picky. They actually care about the environment their children are living in, and there is that financial aspect of the issue. It is quite expensive to send your child to a university for a four year stay; especially if they are coming from out of our state. Parents are resourceful and will do what they need to do to put their children in safe and affordable housing. "Well what the heck does that mean?" you may ask. What it means is that parents are willing to buy townhomes and condos zoned R2 and R3 and put 4 to 5 students in the units to help them defray the costs. What it means is that those quiet little enclaves that were designed for small families, young couples, or retirees are now competing with students for parking and for little things like peace and quiet.
What it means is that parents are often forced to fly under the zoning radar to make sure their students are in decent housing. Not every parent wants to simply drop their student at the curb of one of the our large student housing projects and drive away for four years. Most of my clients want a "home" for their children to live in. They want to know their neighbors and they want to know that the educational investment they are making is not being jeapordized by the college party element. Parents are willing to buy second homes and townhomes, both as an investment and to ensure the safety and quality of lifestyle for their students.
Instead of just looking at the availability of student housing on a spreadsheet (where everything is equal and everything adds up) perhaps our "deciders" should take a serious look at what is available in Harrisonburg. Maybe they should remove themselves from relationships with those that build these sprawling complexes, cash in, and then walk away from the problems left behind. Maybe they should try living in some of these units. It's not that our leaders are any better or worse than other similar communities, it's just that Harrisonburg is "The Friendly City" and we are not being very friendly to our student visitors.
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