In August 2008, the American Campus Communities will expand its facilities with the official opening of the Villas at Chestnut Ridge, leaving more opportunities for students to live in state-of-the-art off-campus housing.
Convenience:
Unlike the on-campus apartments, the University Village at Sweethome and the Villas are not affiliated with UB, which means students are able to move in the apartments as freshmen, live there with friends from other campuses, stay year round, and continue their residence well after graduation.
Dave Weaver, the area manager of the complexes, said that it's a great place to have both a sense of community and independent living.
"It's a completely unique living experience," Weaver said. "Our staff members really look to build a community."
Sweethome and the Villas are the only off-campus complexes UB allows to bring shuttles onto North Campus. The shuttle services accommodate students without vehicles, or those who don't want to drive to campus on a busy day.
"They have two shuttles running most of the day," said Chris Rogers, a senior business major. "You usually don't have to wait for the shuttles for more than 10 minutes and it is usually only a five minute ride,"
Amenities:
Rachel Record, a junior communication major, decided to move to Sweethome because it was off-campus and because it comes fully furnished, which she found especially accommodating because she is from Seattle, Wash.
State-of-the-art workout facilities are open 24/7 and free tanning beds are offered in both locations. Sweethome also has movie theatre, indoor basketball court, sundeck with a pool, hot tub, grill and outdoor fireplace.
"I was looking for a place and was amazed with the quality of what was offered," said Chris Kozlowski, a senior business major and community adviser at the Sweethome complex. "My belief in the product was why I decided to try it."
Both facilities have expansive social lounges that include big screen televisions, game consoles, billiards, card tables and foosball. The Villas have an Xbox game room, which is exclusive for video gaming or for students who want to relax in the massage chairs.
"We want everyone to feel like this is their central hub," said Rich Norris, the general manager.
Despite being off-campus, Sweethome faces many problems that arise from students living in a close proximity.
"It still has certain consequences of the dorm life atmosphere, such as out of control partying, fire alarms being pulled and hallways being trashed," Record said.
Cost:
The cost of living averages a little higher then most of the off-campus apartment options, but the amenities included are a rare and high quality feature of the Sweethome and Villas. Four-bedroom apartments range from $650 and up per month, per student, whereas apartments with less roommates cost even more per month.
Customer Service & Management:
Students can chose to live in a two or four-bedroom apartment even if they do not have any pre-selected roommates.
"We do resident placement services," Weaver said. "We take a resident profile that helps us place people with each other, who would be most compatible."
Resident profile forms are submitted with applications, and cover roommate characteristics such as work habits, neatness, personality, social habits and sleep habits, hobbies, and even television habits.
Safety:
The suburban locations of the complexes insure a safer atmosphere. In addition, off duty Amherst police officers act as a courtesy patrol staff.
"It's a safe place to live," Record said. "You know the people around you."
All of the apartments come with smoke detectors, carbon dioxide detectors and fire alarms.
"I took a tour when I came here and it sold to me right away," Rogers said. "I like that it is new and safe."
