By Naomi Hofferber
With University of Iowa students amounting to 40 percent of the Iowa City population, the issue of affordable housing is pressing for students living off-campus, other renters, and city councilors.
A new apartment complex may not address the issue of accessible, affordable housing, however.
The Quarters, a new resort-style luxury apartment complex located at 2401 Highway 6 E., is set to be finished by the fall of 2017, and it has started leasing.
“There’s a major trend in the U.S. as far as luxury student housing, and so we found a need for that in the Iowa City area,” said Drew Coffin, a leasing agent for the Quarters. “We took what other campuses have done, what other companies have done around the country, especially the Midwest and kind of incorporated that in the Quarters of Iowa City.”
Residents of the Quarters will have access to amenities including free parking, a clubhouse, a fitness facility, a lounge area, a golf simulator, a hot tub, a pool, tanning beds, indoor racquetball and basketball areas, volleyball courts, a coffee bar, and shuttles to campus.
Coffin said two-bedroom, one-bath units are $500 per month per person, and two-bedroom, two-bath units are $710 per month per person. Studio apartments are more than $1,000 per month.
“We did the market research on what was out there, what the current prices are,” Coffin said. “We wanted to keep it competitive with those, but at the same time we understand that as we are a little bit farther away from campus, we do have amenities that nobody else has in Iowa City, and obviously, those cost money.”
Jacob Simpson, the UI Student Government liaison to the City Council, said that while he does not think the Quarters would be very useful for students because of the location, he does think it will help the housing market.
“What I’ve learned from city officials and our conversations is when we increase the supply of housing, it’s going to alleviate the pressure on the market, so overall prices are going to go down,” Simpson said. “Students do have a spectrum of incomes, so perhaps this place will work for a minority of students who can afford something this expensive, but what you can think about is the housing that they are no longer taking up becomes available for other students.”
Since Simpson brought up the issue of affordable housing for students at the Sept. 20 City Council meeting, he has spoken with community leaders who agreed with his sentiments. Simpson said he had a productive meeting with Mayor Jim Throgmorton and Councilor John Thomas to discuss housing concerns.
UI sophomore Maddie Brennan has seen the challenges of affordable housing firsthand. She has a studio apartment downtown near Bruegger’s Bagels, which she shares with a roommate to help the rent cost.
“We decided to be roommates and split the rent, because it’s kind of pricey,” Brennan said. “My rent is pretty pricey, and I know a lot of students can’t afford it.”
Brennan and her roommate pay around $630 per month each, not including utilities, and share the open studio-style apartment.
“I know housing is definitely a problem here,” Brennan said. “Housing goes really quickly, and it’s hard to find housing nearby. It would benefit the community if they expanded affordable housing downtown and in the downtown area.”