Sometime in the spring of 2008, people will be moving into a shiny new building just north of campus on Chestnut Street.
And as has been the case with every recent residential development near campus, almost none of those tenants will be undergraduates.
The $71 million project at 34th and Chestnut, which is being bankrolled by the Texas-based Hanover Company, is only the most recent example. Others, such as the Left Bank, which opened in 2001, and an 11-story building at 40th and Chestnut, which will open in 2007, are all too expensive for most students. This is unfortunately all by design.
While these properties all contribute to the overall improvement of the areas surrounding campus through their retail space, their four-figure monthly rents do nothing to benefit students.
Granted, it is important to create places for faculty and their families to live near campus. And adding upscale residences sure does spruce up the neighborhood. But it's time to re-evaluate the housing needs of the majority of Penn's constituents.
Since 2000, 282 "premium" housing units have been built, and another 386 are under construction. How many apartment buildings in that same time frame have been built with undergraduates in mind? None.
At the same time Penn has been backing these new construction projects to bring ritzy living to West Philadelphia, it has turned its back on the students who must fend for themselves, many living in substandard off-campus housing.
There is nowhere near enough housing on campus -- room for just 60 percent of undergraduates -- and no efforts have been made to build more. That would be fine if adequate alternatives existed. They are few and far between. Nearly three quarters of residences in University City are at least 50 years old. These are the only places most students can afford.
It would be nice to think that some of Penn's new properties would provide new opportunities to live off campus. But if these private developers follow through on their plans, we'll have dozens more studio apartments starting at $1,200 a month like the Left Bank.
Other campuses, such as the University of Delaware, have partnered with developers to specifically build undergraduate housing off campus.
Penn, it appears, only wants those with plenty of money to spend.
