 Loyola Village Will Open to Students
Hoping to solve a student housing crunch and turn a prospective money loser into a self-supporting project, the University of San Francisco Board of Trustees voted April 2 to open the Loyola Village housing development primarily to student renters.
The 136-unit development will be rented to students, faculty, and staff. The original intent was to sell and rent the units to faculty and staff, with the possibility of renting some units to students. Loyola Village is scheduled to begin housing students this fall.
Loyola Village was not attracting the numbers of buyers or renters the university needed to recoup its investment—reservations for units after the Village officially opened stood at 44, about one-third of capacity. The softened rental market in San Francisco, as well as the failure of the apartment-style development to attract faculty or staff with young families, forced the university to consider other options.
Administrators considered stimulating demand or opening the Village to outside renters, but these measures would have only solved the university’s financial problem and not addressed the student housing need.
For residence life staff who had to cobble together enough housing this year to meet the guaranteed needs of first- and second-year students, the extra space is sheer relief.
“I was incredibly excited by the announcement,” said J. J. Thorp, director of residence life. “I think it can help solve many, many problems.”
In previous years students had complained about not having enough on-campus living options, Thorp said. The university's on-campus residence halls fill up quickly, and USF has made off-campus housing available. The shortage of housing options put USF at a disadvantage with competitors, Thorp said.
Since Loyola Village was conceived, the demand for on-campus student housing at USF has doubled.
Students said they are intrigued by the idea of living in brand-new apartments—with Internet access and lofty ceilings—for the same price as other apartment-style buildings owned by the university. Ongoing construction, however, prohibits students from visiting the buildings so many said they are not sure if they will make the development their first choice.
“Students have been asking about it. Students who live off campus are coming by to find out more,” said Lesli Pocock, manager of the residence life office.
Meanwhile, one staff member who planned to purchase a unit said he was disappointed with the change in plans.
As a new hire five years ago, the staff member, who asked for anonymity, said he had become interested in Loyola Village when the development was in its planning stages. Last December he made a reservation to buy one of the townhouse units and began discussing a financing package with the housing office.
“I was quite excited,” he said. “I had told my family and friends, I had refinanced some of my things, and the next thing I knew, plans had changed.”
The staff member, however, said he would still be interested in renting the townhouse and in taking part in a vision of Loyola Village as a learning community of students, faculty, and staff.
The university is developing plans to help faculty and staff who reserved units but are not interested in living in student-oriented housing. In a university-wide email announcing the shift in residency, USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. said the university would set up a faculty housing assistance program.
The university has also met with neighborhood groups to inform them of the change in plans. “I’ve had dozens of calls and two meetings and several more scheduled,” said Glenn Loomis, assistant vice president for facilities management. Residents’ reaction was mixed, he said. Their biggest concerns are the development’s population density, parking problems, and potential noise.
To answer those concerns, Loomis said the development will have a hall director and a 24-hour front desk to control noise. He is also investigating ways to encourage students not to bring their cars with them to the Village. 
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