While Main Street Commons will not be home to freshmen next school year, the apartment complex was successful in pleasing most of the underclassmen who called it home.
“Almost all of the freshmen that were part of the Main Street program are staying in Main Street for next school year,” said Greg Colwell, general manager at Main Street Commons.
Information about the number of 2012-13 leases that have been signed has not been released, but Colwell said “phase two,” or the second set of apartments in the building, has been moving forward.
“All of the drawings and everything [for “phase two”] have been put together,” he said. “We actually have more leases signed this year than last. We are ahead of last year’s phase.”
Despite the increase in leases, Colwell said a few apartments are still available.
“We still do have a couple of bunk beds and two bedrooms open, but all of our three bedrooms are taken,” he said.
Colwell said the loss of freshmen in Main Street for next school year won’t be a big change for the apartment complex.
“It’s not too different,” he said. “It just changes our focus onto different [academic] classes. It’s no different than last year [with the freshmen] in that aspect.”
Freshman mechanical engineering major Matt Heinrich was one of the freshmen in the pilot program at Main Street. He said he will continue to live there for his sophomore year.
“I’m living here next year because I enjoy all of the amenities and moving to a dorm and giving up all these things would be too different,” he said. “Plus, living here a second year would mean that I wouldn’t have to haul any of my stuff back to my hometown because of my 12-month lease.”
However, not all residents will be renewing leases at Main Street.
“No, I will not be living at Main Street next year,” said junior English major Nicole Larson. “I feel that Main Street commons is a glorified dorm building with a kitchen. Yes, having your own bathroom and living space is nice, but I expected to not be bothered with events or the staff entering my apartment without notifying me. It just wasn’t what I expected.
Larson said the apartment wasn’t what she had hoped for.
“It’s silly to be paying twice what living in a house cost for an apartment that isn’t very big,” she said. “Parts of the apartment aren’t even finished. I also feel that the location isn’t so great. It was just too far from campus and all my friends, too expensive, and not the quality that I was told the day I signed my lease.”
