Neighborhood Advisories

Village Apartments for Graduate Students Studied
(Posted August 2006)

As reported at the university’s regular quarterly meeting with community leaders in May and August, and mentioned in a previous Neighborhood News advisory, Rice is considering upgrades to existing university-owned apartment buildings on the north side of Shakespeare Street near Morningside (2402, 2406, 2410, and 2414 Shakespeare, currently used as graduate student housing).  Because there continues to be a need for graduate housing at this site, and because the maintenance costs and usability of the existing 1950’s buildings compare unfavorably to those of a new facility, the university has begun to study options for replacing the existing structures with newer graduate student apartments.

More recently, the university had an opportunity to acquire additional property immediately adjacent to its existing Shakespeare Street apartments. Rice is now investigating opportunities to build rental housing on these properties as well (encompassing even numbered addresses from 2402 to 2504 Shakespeare).  The acquisition of this new land should positively impact the previously contemplated reconstruction project at 2402 - 2414 Shakespeare: 

1. Eliminates Threat of High Rise Development

Acquisition of additional land means the construction project can build wider, not taller, and eliminates the threat of an outside developer purchasing the same properties for the kind of high rise construction which recently threatened this same neighborhood.

2. Residential Character of Neighborhood Preserved

The properties will continue to be just what they now are—rental housing.

3. Improvement In Quality

Deteriorating older properties would be replaced with quality new construction.

For additional information, please contact the Office of Community & Government Relations.