Editor's note: this is the second of a two-part series examining the concerns of residents and community members living in the University Heights area. In this issue The Spectrum will feature ideas, solutions and a vision for the improved future of the district.
There may be trouble in the University Heights area, but for many residents, the crime and domestic disputes are merely obstacles in the way of attaining what they envision as a Utopia near the University's south campus.
No doubt about it: both sides of the situation, students and residents, are passionate about this territory. And both sides think they know the best ways to improve the current climate in the Heights.
In fact, the current debate - with some student residents complaining of neighbors that can be less than inviting, while some permanent residents complain that students need to learn their place - only serves to underscore the passion Heights residents have for their home, said Director of Community Relations Vincent Clark.
"There's a wonderful story waiting to be told. There are community members who care enough about their neighborhood to fight for it," he said.
The community members getting involved are not just University staff like Clark and Student Life representative Mary Clare Fahey. According to Clark, students are active in community improvement as well.
"There are many students here who are helpful. They clean up, they tutor, they get involved," Clark explained. "There are a lot of people who care."
Supply and demand
The office of Community Relations is the "gateway" between the University at Buffalo and the neighboring community, Clark said. The office works to "be the bridge" between community members and the University officials like the University Police who deal with students and domestic issues.
Community Relations drew over 2,000 participants to the "UB on the Green" program this semester in an effort to get students and community members together, and is currently building up the Home Loan Guarantee program to encourage post-doctorate and graduate students to move into the area.
With the raising of property values at the forefront of the Heights discussion, community members are interested in attracting more studious residents to fill the void left by hard-partying students.
"That's part of our vision," Clark said.
According to Sister Jeremy Midula with St. Joseph's University Parish, one major problem in the Heights right now is the sorry state of many properties.
"The absentee landlords are letting the property become dilapidated. Why would a landlord invest in a property if the demand isn't being made? The supply of students who need housing is there."
University Heights Collaborative administrator David Ellerbrock admitted that although many residents would like neighborhood properties to be more attended to, some renters just can't be made to care, and landlords will take any paying tenant.
"It's simple marketing," Ellerbrock said.
One landlord's case
Jeremy Dunn is a self-made Heights landlord who owns over 20 properties on Winspear Avenue. He doesn't believe "simple marketing" will last against the efforts of the community.
"I think that's a dying situation. I don't think people will be able to keep getting away with it," he said.
According to Dunn, the limited amount of crime in the area is "the only thing keeping this neighborhood from taking off." He added, "It's the perfect place for a college student to live."
Clark believes that the crime in the neighborhood can be easily exaggerated.
"The reason people have this misconception of danger is because it's such a safe neighborhood. When things happen, people notice," he said.
When asked about the safety of the Heights compared to other areas, Clark said, "It's no Mayberry, but it isn't a ghetto either. I know what the ghetto is like, I grew up there."
According to Clark, all student residents need to do is step outside their rented homes and meet the people around them.
"I would love for Heights students to get to know their neighbors, to break bread with them," he said.
A story still in progress
Midula agrees, but encourages the reverse.
"Homeowners should introduce themselves to students. It's all about relationships," she said, adding that "those relationships don't happen at two in the morning."
Fahey worked for five years as the South Campus Area Director, and has since joined the Problem Properties Task Force, a neighborhood group created to improve properties suffering from lax landlords and destructive tenants. Her work in the community has provided her with insight into the Heights situation.
"The two biggest complaints are litter and noise," she said.
Fahey advises students to have respect for others' property, and to keep the noise down late at night.
"If you can hear it from the street, it's too loud," she said.
However, Fahey readily admits that students need to have fun too.
"If we can't get them to abstain, we can at least try to get them to be safe. I'm a realist," she said.
Clark envisions a future in which the University Heights Collaborative and Problem Properties Task Force, the University and its faculty, students and permanent residents all work in conjunction to beautify the neighborhood.
"The University Heights will become an area where people want to live, with vibrant neighborhoods, active businesses, and well-behaved students living among them," he said.
Clark's advice for students living in the Heights is to simply remember that the neighborhood is growing, and that mutual respect is key to a positive working relationship.
"For however long they are there, they are an important part of the fabric of the community."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
