Residents say it is a little rundown, break-ins are not unusual and the interior is dated.
But many residents also say it is the first time they ever knew their neighbors. They say they have grassy areas for their dogs to play. And it is so close to campus, it only takes 10 minutes to walk to the Quad.
But soon the tight-knit student community on West Campus Street and Nicholson Drive will be gone.
In its place will be a new 100-unit, high-end complex, known as The Fieldhouse, for out-of-town tailgaters to stay when they are in town for LSU football and basketball games. The Fieldhouse condos are selling for $150,000 to $499,000.
Capstone Development Corporation Senior Vice-President Will Bru, who is overseeing the project, said in an October Reveille article that the condos “are not really intended for students.”
“Everything we’re going to do is targeted at the big LSU fan,” Bru said.
Bru also said they plan to begin construction on the condos as early as January 2005, but residents in College View Apartments, the apartments that will be torn down in order to make room for The Fieldhouse, said their landlord stated they now have until May 2005 to move out.
But many College View residents are not happy about having to move out in May.
They are upset their landlord is forcing them to leave, and they are worried they may not find affordable housing near campus.
“The main problem is it’s not for students,” Charles Mouton-Lanphier, a history senior, said of the new condos that will replace his home.
Mouton-Lanphier said he understands why Capstone wants to build on the land that is so close to campus, but is unhappy he will have to find a new apartment.
“I can walk to the Quad in 10 minutes,” he said. “You can’t take a bus in 10 minutes.”
Alana Cleland, a marine biology junior, said the part she will miss most is the sense of community between her and her neighbors.
“Living in Tigerland, I never met my neighbors,” Cleland said.
Cleland also said she is worried about finding a new affordable place to live.
Looking for a similar neighborhood, Cleland said the State Street area between Dalrymple Drive and Highland Road is overpriced and too dirty.
Cleland and her neighbors said their current apartments may be old, but the apartments on State Street are much older and more rundown.
So Cleland and her neighbor T.J. Tullos, a fifth year student in cultural anthropology and religious studies, said they will probably look into moving farther down Nicholson Drive toward downtown. But they all agreed they probably will face increased crime with that move.
Tullos, Cleland, Mouton-Lanphier and neighbor Michelle Breaux, a psychology junior, all agreed crime only gets worse farther down Nicholson Drive.
“This is already a little seedy,” Mouton-Lanphier said. “They’re building this project next to the projects.”
Cleland said she has had her apartment and car broken into while living at College View.
Mouton-Lanphier said he has to take the face plate off his car stereo every time he parks.
And all residents said there are several drug houses in the area.
But Bru said they hope the new development will improve the area and the University is happy Capstone is investing in the area.
Mouton-Lanphier said The Fieldhouse is a smart idea and will bring money to the area, but he still contended that it has nothing to do with education. He said sports bring a lot of money to the University but he questioned why LSU is not concerned that the new complex for fans will displace several students.
In an October letter to the editor, Gena Olson, philosophy sophomore, pointed out the development company’s catch phrase “stay where you play.” But Olson questioned if the company or University had ever considered the concept of “living where you attend school.”
Olson said this is not the first time the University is not considering the needs of students who need low-cost housing.
Olson pointed to the planned removal of the Nicholson and Ed Gay campus apartments — an old and dilapidated low-cost housing community that caters mostly to international and married students. Olson said she understands why the University is removing the apartments, but is disappointed that they are doing nothing to replace them with affordable housing.
All interviewed College View residents said they do not think there is much they can do about being forced out.
Cleland said somebody spray painted The Fieldhouse sign in protest, but Capstone replaced it within 24 hours.
Tullos said he was thinking about protesting, but he did not have any definite plans.
Student Government President Brad Golson said he is not very familiar with the issue, but said SG is looking into the matter.
Golson said he and SG Vice President Jenny Byrd asked Neil Mathews, vice chancellor of Student Life and Academic Services, about it and Matthews had not heard anything about the situation.
But students and residents concerned about the new condominium complex can attend a Planning and Commission Meeting on Monday at 5 p.m. to discuss the development.
In a letter from District 10 East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Councilwoman Lorri Burgess to a resident, Burgess invited the resident to attend two upcoming meetings to voice concerns about the project.
“This is the only way to ensure that the developers address your concerns,” Burgess said in the letter.
Burgess said she held a community meeting on Oct. 11 to discuss concerns residents had about flooding and parking.
She said she has not received any complaints from residents who are being displaced.