There are a few sure-fire developments that we like to see on campus: more beds, less drunk driving accidents and a variety in terms of where students can choose to live.
Now that a City Council amendment has allowed the construction of private off-campus housing in the Five Points area, it looks like USC is going to get, to some extent, all of these things. (And we’re happy three times over about it.)
First, more beds. As we’ve observed time and time again, the numbers of incoming freshmen keep skyrocketing. While recent developments (like the refurbishing of Women’s Quad) have increased the number of students USC can keep on campus, there’s always room for more breathing room.
Living in the proposed private dormitory on Harden (across from Cook-Out), that will most likely be sponsored by Peak Campus Development, will also place students in walking distance of a major grocery store, the Five Points district and a number of other establishments.
The mutual economic benefits for both student and entrepreneur aside, the proximity to Five Points would lessen the need for students to drive on the weekends.
It would also have obvious benefits for traffic in the district and would prevent people, who would otherwise drive drunk, from taking that first fatal step into the car.
Lastly, the development would provide more choice to those who are interested in living on that side of the city.
While there is some housing that leads up to the Five Points district, many of the student living communities there are very difficult to get into for a couple of reasons.
Their relative expense bars many students from living in those houses. Not only that, but leasing the houses is usually an internal affair for students that may pass the house down, sometimes within a student organization or to friends. If you know the previous tenant and hang around the same circles and student groups, chances are you’re the one who gets the house over other applicants.
The Peak Campus Development will offer students interested in living in that area somewhere to set up shop without having to deal with the major hassle of getting a house.
That, along with the other aforementioned benefits, is not only good news for incoming students: it’s good news for USC.