New apartment complex to help students

A Texas-based development company has proposed to build an off-campus apartment building in Oakland that will resemble Pitt’s dorm halls.

Campus Advantage said Monday that it will construct a 13-story, 137-bedroom apartment complex primarily housing students at 3407 Forbes Ave., near Magee-Womens Hospital, where a single-story commercial building stands. Construction is slated to begin next February and be completed by the fall of 2017, said Scott Duckett, the company’s chief executive officer.  

Allegheny County’s 2015 County Assessed Value of the lot, owned by UPMC, was $450,600. Though the end cost could change, Duckett said, Campus Advantage’s estimated cost for the complex is $25 million. 

Some students, however, said they are skeptical of living in a place off-campus that has similar restrictions to one of Pitt’s residence halls. As part of the lease agreement, students must agree to follow local and community laws and ordinances, including a policy forbidding the use of illegal drugs, Duckett said.

Hunter Saunders, a sophomore finance major, said living in the new building will depend on its price. Freedom is what makes living off-campus alluring, said Ethan Schollaert. 

“Right now, I live [on campus]. It’s not much fun,” Schollaert, a sophomore neuroscience major, said. “I like the idea of living off-campus because of the freedom you have.”

While anyone can rent from Campus Advantage, the company will offer amenities like those offered by Pitt’s career services, such as job-seeking assistance and resumé seminars. During finals week, Campus Advantage often provides students with tutors and snacks like hot chocolate, Duckett said.

To coordinate these amenities, also available at nearby universities, Campus Advantage partners with the universities. Through its building near Kent State University in Ohio called “Campus Pointe,” the company formed a “close working relationship” with the university, according to Duckett.

Campus Advantage plans to contact Pitt about a partnership, Duckett said, but Pitt spokesman John Fedele said the company hasn’t yet communicated plans. 

The reason for the handbook, Duckett said, is that Campus Advantage seeks to create “living learning communities” in its buildings.

“As a national company, we want to be a safe living learning community, so we don’t tolerate illegal drug use,” Duckett said. 

Other local companies said they do not have similar policies. A representative from Lobos Management, who would only give his first name, Ben, confirmed students aren’t required to sign a no-drug policy or obtain parents’ signatures on an agreement promising to pay the rent. 

Forbes Management, another Pittsburgh-based realtor, said, while tenants don’t sign an explicit no-illegal-drug-policy, students are required to obtain a cosigner if they aren’t paying, said its office administrator Suganya Rajendran.

Campus Advantage’s adherence to a residents’ handbook allows it to make efforts to work closely with neighboring universities. 

“We also seek to develop a relationship with the university for judicial reasons,” Duckett said. 

If a student living in one of Campus Advantage’s buildings violates the residents’ handbook, Campus Advantage may turn that student over to the university for punitive measures. Before Campus Advantage rents to a student, they perform a “thorough” background check, according to Duckett.

The complex will include one story of street-level retail, three stories of parking with 110 spaces for cars and 75 spaces for bicycles above and nine stories of residential living. The complex will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Duckett said he could not speak to the cost of the apartments at this time.

Duckett said Campus Advantage is also working closely with Oakland Planning and Development Corporation to partner with the Oakland community. 

Wanda Wilson, the executive director of OPDC, said OPDC met with Campus Advantage and is planning a community meeting to discuss the development on April 14. These meetings, Wilson said, are held “to make sure everyone in the community has an opportunity to comment.”

At the upcoming meeting, Duckett said, Campus Advantage wants community input on the stores or businesses to occupy the building.

“Obviously there’s a real estate transaction taking place, but we want the community to be involved,” Duckett said.

Kate Rakus, senior zoning planner for Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, said in an email Monday that Campus Advantage started the zoning process and will come before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on April 23 to review the company’s designs.

The new building will be approximately one block away from Forbes Hall, and Pitt shuttles, such as the 30B, will continue to stop nearby, according to Panther Central’s website. The site will also continue to be accessible via Pitt’s SafeRider. 

“We have fun communities,” Duckett said, “but we also have respectful communities.”