Opinion: Housing's lead role in unfolding story

Housing is hot. It is driving development both downtown and west of the Missouri State University campus.

But it is a story with chapters yet to be written.

Over 100 lofts, representing $15 million in development, have been added downtown the past two years at the Lofts at College Station, Union Biscuit and Frisco. The new housing is a 17 percent increase in supply, and all indications from developers point to occupancies remaining strong.

Another 650 new student-housing beds, representing another $34 million, have been built the past three years west of MSU’s campus at Bear Village, Beacon Park, The Jefferson, Deep Elm, The Bay and The U (formerly the McDaniel).

Developers have more in the pipeline. The $16 million Heer’s project is scheduled to add 90 market-rate units in time for the building’s 100th anniversary next fall. Sky Eleven, a $15 million, 90-bed redevelopment of the Woodruff building, also is working hard to open by the beginning of the 2015 fall semester. The Qube, a $4 million job under construction on Bear Boulevard, will add 116 beds, and Aspen Heights plans to develop 564 beds in a $38 million project on the site of the former Earth Grains bakery on St. Louis Street.

That brings the total projected growth for downtown mixed-use loft development since 2012 to 190 new units and $31 million in investment. Student housing will have added another 1,370 beds with a price tag of $91 million.

Those impressive numbers follow national trends for the rapid expansion of student housing units and the pressure to offer more elaborate options. They present the following opportunities for downtown.

Division I competitiveness
In a time of declining to flat enrollment nationally, all colleges are working harder than ever to compete for students. Through private investments in off-campus housing and the $27 million in student-funded additions to athletic and recreational facilities, MSU stands to benefit by critical amenities seen at top-tier Division I universities.  

Vibrant first floors
Removing the blight of the downtown skyline with the renovations of Heer’s and Woodruff is pivotal. However, attracting quality commercial tenants will transform how those buildings interact with the community, especially for Park Central Square. They need to generate foot traffic well beyond the traditional 8-5 workday.

The eFactory and 1 Million Cups are sparking intriguing conversations on entrepreneurship. Downtown storefronts can become the laboratories for innovative retailers, professional services and offices. A handful of strategic storefronts could attract new customers and broaden a solid base of services and shopping.

Let bungalows be bungalows
Hundreds of bright and shiny housing units can lure students out of decades of illegal overcrowding of the single-family homes in the Phelps Grove, Rountree and Midtown neighborhoods. These historic homes can be reclaimed for faculty, staff, professionals and families that value a walkable lifestyle near a college campus.

Downtown housing has grown at a remarkable pace over the past three years. It is creating opportunities for our colleges to be more competitive across the region, for innovative and magnetic first-floor commercial spaces and for better alignment of single and multifamily neighborhoods.

One thing is for certain in downtown’s epic saga – it must remain nimble to adapt its uses to the inevitable changes of the free market.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.