Schools
University: No Plans Finalized for Student Housing, Despite Mayor's Statement
At a Jan. 27 event, Mayor O'Reilly said the school had "reached an agreement" to purchase buildings for student housing. School spokespeople, however, say that's not exactly true, though housing is moving forward.
Dearborn has been buzzing with excitement about potential new student housing, but university officials say it's not a done deal, yet.
On Jan. 27 at a hosted by the League of Women Voters, Mayor Jack O’Reilly told attendees that student housing was on its way for students.
He said that an agreement had been reached between Ford Land, the University Community Campuses and UM-Dearborn to put dormitories “on the extreme western portion of the Fairlane complex along Evergreen Road.”
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“Student housing is going forward, we think, unless there’s a blip in the road,” O’Reilly said. “We should have the first 400 units of student housing in place for the beginning of the fall semester of 2012.”
Not necessarily, said representatives of UM-Dearborn.
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The announcement caused quite a stir around campus, which Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Ken Kettenbeil addressed in a statement to the campus community.
“The university has been engaged in student housing discussions for many years,” the statement read. “The university remains committed to student housing and continues to explore the best options for housing. Options include both on and off-campus housing.
“I would like to clarify that the university does not have any signed agreement regarding housing,” he said. “Once an agreement or decision is made, the campus community will be notified by the chancellor.”
Assistant Director of Communications Beth Marmarelli elaborated that the university wasn’t sure why Mayor O’Reilly mentioned the Ford Land properties specifically, as no formal sale had been made, nor agreement reached.
“We don’t have a signed agreement at all,” she said. “(Student housing is) something that’s been being explored and discussed for a long time, but nothing has been finalized yet.
“I’m not sure where the information that the mayor had came from.”
The Ford Land-owned building on Evergreen Road the mayor mentioned as the future site of student housing, Marmarelli said, is “one of the properties that’s being explored, but there are others as well. I would hate to say that that was the final location, because obviously things could change.”
Indeed, the property’s real estate signage still advertises the two buildings, which are located directly across from UM-Dearborn’s University Center, as “available.”
Other properties that had been discussed as a possible site for student housing included yet-to-be-built space on the Dearborn Village Partners property in downtown west Dearborn.
The university would not confirm if one property was being pursued over another.
Mary Laundroche, director of the Department of Public Information for the city of Dearborn, explained Mayor O’Reilly’s statement at the Jan. 27 event as an optimistic outlook.
“I think the mayor was just happy to share some positive news about the student housing, since it is so important for our city to promote UM-D,” she said in an e-mail response. “It should have better been characterized as a project that is still in optimistic negotiations.”
And indeed, though no time or location had been finalized for the project, Marmarelli said UM-Dearborn is eagerly taking steps toward making the discussion a reality.
“Housing is definitely one of the areas that the university recognizes is really important for us to continue to grow,” she said. “We know our students are interested in housing and we know that it would enhance the student experience and it’s something the university is committed to. But where exactly it will be and how it will take shape and when it will happen, it’s still too early to say.”
