<p>Hey, Guys,</p>
<p>Haven’t visited the site in a while, but maybe someone can tell me if they’ve heard what D2 did about the Bluffs Apts. not being contracted by UA next year. We were counting on moving D2 there her junior/senior years and applying her housing scholarship (NMF) to the rent. </p>
<p>I’m wondering where UA will put all these older students on housing contracts as we continue to grow the freshman classes??? If some of the older kids don’t leave for the Bluffs (or a similar facility) will UA have the room for incoming freshmen. Just wondering. D2 is staying one more year at Ridgecrest for now, but planning for the future. Thanks. </p>
<p>Bikedad</p>
<p>I’ve heard that Bama is going to use less of The Bluff than it currently is using. I haven’t heard that Bama will discontinue using The Bluff…at least not yet.</p>
<p>Maybe the eventual plan is to not use The Bluff at some future point. A new res hall building is going in near Rose Towers, but that is to replace Rose Towers…so doesn’t seem like enough replacement unless the new one is larger than Rose. . </p>
<p>My son is in Building 3 of The Bluff, so I don’t know how many buildings Bama is currently using.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how many students are housed in Rose?</p>
<p>The new seven-story North Bluff Residential Community will overlook the Black Warrior River, provide 971 new residential beds and cost about $57 million to construct.</p>
<p>* Director of Housing and Residential Communities David Jones said the North Bluff Residential building will be one of a kind. Jones said, “On the top floor, the space we’re probably most excited about that this building will have that’s different than all the others, is that on the top floor, it will have a very large gathering space, large lounge multipurpose space that will enable several hundred students to gather, and have large events that will have some of the best views on campus.” *</p>
<p>Rose Towers holds 750 beds, but none of that is honors housing, to my knowledge.</p>
<p>The use of the Bluff was always meant to be a temporary solution to the shortage of honors housing due the continued astronomical growth in enrollment. Now that enrollment has stabilized for the time being, the demand honors housing has been relieved.</p>
<p>I don’t think the demand for honors housing has been relieved. If it were, then it would have been relieved fall 2009 when Ridgecrest South is opened.</p>
<p>Now, if the plan is to designate both Lakeside buildings as honors after N.Bluff is complete than that would be fine. N. Bluff would replace Rose and add 220 extra beds to make up for the loss of non-honors East Lakeside.</p>
<p>That said, I just don’t think that after Bama “runs the numbers” that it really can completely give up The Bluff until something similar is available. The Retreat would be a nicer alternative, but it’s further from campus, and therefore the Crimson Ride takes longer to get there to pick up students who are currently there. </p>
<p>Feeno…are you graduating next month?</p>
<p>FWIW-I called housing back in March after reading an article in the Crimson White regarding UA returning space to The Bluffs. What I was told is that prior to now, the UA contracted space at Bluffs housing had never been fully occupied. Under the contract, UA could return a portion of their space back to the Bluffs beginning this fall. They exercised that option and returned a portion of their units back to the Bluffs and now all the remaining UA space is fully filled for next year. They said UA has the option to return more space back to the Bluffs over the next few years and they may or may not with occupancy and demand being a factor in that decision process. They said that perhaps now that they are fully occupied they have reached the right place in the supply/demand equation for UA housing at the Bluffs. Worst case was that there would be no more Bluffs housing after the 2012-13 school year if UA fully exercised it’s options and got completely out of the Bluffs. I’m hoping that with it fully occupied and no other really equal options for upperclassmen they will retain what they have going forward.</p>
<p>m2ck, I finished all my coursework in the Fall and have been working on my comps and thesis since then. I hope to graduate in August. :)</p>
<p>Feeno…good luck!!!</p>
<p>What I was told is that prior to now, the UA contracted space at Bluffs housing had never been fully occupied. Under the contract, UA could return a portion of their space back to the Bluffs beginning this fall. They exercised that option and returned a portion of their units back to the Bluffs and now all the remaining UA space is fully filled for next year. They said UA has the option to return more space back to the Bluffs over the next few years and they may or may not with occupancy and demand being a factor in that decision process. They said that perhaps now that they are fully occupied they have reached the right place in the supply/demand equation for UA housing at the Bluffs. Worst case was that there would be no more Bluffs housing after the 2012-13 school year if UA fully exercised it’s options and got completely out of the Bluffs.</p>
<p>That’s what I’m remembering as well. I do think that with Fall 2011, Bama will have the “right” number of units at The Bluff. This year, Bama did have empty units/rooms there. So, now with “X minus Y” number of units at The Bluff for 2011, Bama will probably be at the “rigt number.” </p>
<p>I don’t see how Bama can completely eliminate the use of The Bluff in the near future because it really needs those units for upper-class NMF students (which are the majority of the Bama residents at The Bluff).</p>
<p>UA will have at least some rooms at The Bluff for the next few years; they just don’t have the space in on-campus dorms for all the students who want on-campus housing. I know that many students were disappointed with the decision to require 11.5 month contracts at the Bluff, especially since the NMF scholarship does not cover the summer amount, but many students still choose to live at the Bluff.</p>