Rock Harbor Commons: Room Reservations
As of this morning, the Rock Harbor Commons (RHC) website is online and room reservations are being taken for '09. The site includes the most recent version of a virtual walk-through tour so that the 350 future student residents can see what the building will look like as well as the layout of the rooms. Links on the site include a download-able resident handbook along with the an RHC application. This is an exciting time for Black Rock - to see a former brownfield transformed into a privately financed student village. RHC is just Phase One of the Rock Harbor Village plan - the building comes complete with a Commons Center boasting a café , student entrepreneurial offices, food court, fitness center, game/recreational room, big screen TVs, 24-hour security, Wi-Fi, monitored private parking, and eco-friendly shuttle buses.
Each Rock Harbor Commons room is outfitted with one and a half baths, recycling features, fridge, dining bar, flat screen TV, storage space, living area, desks, cabinets, etc. There are even practice rooms for bands and musicians across the street. The lofted room is designed to accommodate four students - there is a secluded sleeping loft, one semi-private sleeping area and one 2-person sleeping area with bunking option. Between the room and the Commons Center, the students will be living a modern lifestyle with just about every amenity that they can dream of.
The effort to get the word out on this unique student residence is extensively viral. We're hoping that the students who are currently stuck living in hotels due to overcrowded campus dorms, discover that there is an exciting living alternative mere minutes away from Buffalo State, Canisius, D'Youville, Medaille and the expanding Medical Campus. And the cost? 5% less than traditional on-campus housing with a 10% discount for the first 175 students who make a reservation before 1/1/09.
Visit the Rock Harbor Commons site, or call 716-877-4111 to reserve a room for Fall semester '09. To field a question, email Rock Harbor today.
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rydog71
Great idea but how are they getting around it being housing discrimination only renting to college students?
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MyNameWasTaken
I haven't had the need to look into campus housing in quite a long time, however 3K per semester to share a room with 4 others seems.... extreme. With that money over the course of a year (2 semesters) you can rent a small mansion in Buffalo for a year. Either way I hope this project works out for these guys.
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kooksapalooza
at canisius its around 6K to 8K a semester...
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Andrew
The cheapest room at canisius is $4490 a year for the most basic freshman dorm. The most expensive are the townhouses on w. delavan ave or $8460. Prices are pretty close. You should be comparing the price to the new student housing they are building in cheektowaga.
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bsnack
Has anyone seen this building? Unless he has an army of Oompa Loompas, there is no way this building will be converted into any type of livable space in less than a year.
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treepeepl1
Andrew, if you go to http://www.canisius.edu/reslife/selection_costs.asp, you'll see that you're not comparing apples to apples. To get a better idea, you might want to look at the Dugan Suites. These are quads, and they price out at $6880./year. They do not have a private kitchenette. they come with either a common room or a private bath, but not both (Rock Harbor Commons comes with a private 1 and 1/2 bath AND a kitchenette AND a living area. And then of course, there's the building to consider. The amenities listed are only part of what the building will eventually offer.
The rooms you're talking about that are $4490 are freshmen housing (which Rock Harbor doesn't do cuz freshmen are required to live on campus) and they are just that, ROOMS, nothing like what RHC is. Rock Harbor Commons is definitely more bang for your buck.
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treepeepl1
BSNACK, the oompa loompas have landed! :-) The building has all the tough stuff already done. The rest is easy.
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treepeepl1
BSNACK, the oompa loompas have landed! :-) The building has all the tough stuff already done. The rest is easy.
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blackrocklifer
Again- We welcome this project to Black Rock. This location is ideal for students with easy access to the best of all the things the city offers. This project is one of several good things finally starting to happen in our long under appreciated area. Good Luck Rock Harbor
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treepeepl1
MyNameWasTaken,
I s'pose you're right. In a perfect world, most would love to rent a small mansion for their money. However, in the real world, most students can't or don't want to do rent that little mansion cuz they:
#1 have to sign a lease for a year AND pass a credit test, get furniture and set up housekeeping Some tough thing to do when you're
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treepeepl1
rydog71,
It was never a question of discrimination. It's all about zoning. :-(
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Emjay
This definitely doesn't seem very appealing for Canisius Students< maybe Buff State kids. The location and price just don't do it for me. You can rent a house or apartment around Canisius for half the cost of these places and not have to sleep in the kitchen. And unlike the UB area, the private houses around Canisius are generally much better. Who knows, maybe this will work out, but under the current economic conditions, it just doesn't seem like students or parents would be jumping at them.
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eliotspitzer
are there any windows in this place?
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treepeepl1
Emjay, most students dorm cuz it's easier and is what works for them at the time. almost every student I know who dorms does it cuz it fits his/her situation best, and those that don't choose other options. diversity and choices make the world go round! It's 'merica at its best! :-)
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treepeepl1
yes, there's 3 big windows in each room. lots of natural lighting.
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sbrof
Great project Amherst has many kinds of projects like this. Well student only housing, not cool rehabs, and I wonder how they get away without being considered discriminatory. Odds are no one tried to get in, was rejected and sued because of it. That is the way the system is setup in the US.
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Biniszkiewicz
four guys in one room is not a lot of privacy. Hard to get much studying done with three other guys in your pad. Good luck, but I'm a bit skeptical that this incarnation will prevail. Bet they get reworked and repriced in a few years for double occupancy instead of quad.
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meanoldman
take an old rail yard and warehouse space that has been stagnant for years, turn it into state of the art housing for students living in buffalo! ( thats a terrible thing.) all your negative comments suck. either find a better idea for the property or support the positive development of a depressed area! unless you are a student, SHUT THE HELL UP. how many of you nay sayers live around the area or are students? this area can only improve with the ideas this developer is envisioning. the only discrimination i hope to see, is that none of you hate the city butt wipes ever live in these apartments, or try to become educated!!!
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bsnack
They should turn it into a velodrome instead! Or a bike repair shop!
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meanoldman
hey spitzer! why do YOU care about windows, don't want people to see what you are doing?
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treepeepl1
Biniszkiewicz, I was at buff state today. in porter. it was a cess pool. the rooms are tiny, the beds are tiny. it's cramped. the laundry room is really small (on the 2nd floor), the beds are like planks! It was really depressing. And of course, there sure aren't any bathrooms in the bedrooms.
I guess you can't envision this. but, altho there are other people in the room, there's a private sleeping area up the stairs in the loft. there's a screen (like a thin wall) hanging from the ceiling to separate another sleeping area. there's the kitchenette and 1 and a half bathrooms. So, altho it has a couple more people in it than the doubles you're talking about, there really is much more space. Having the option of preparing meals in your own room and showering and going to the bathroom in the privacy of your own room has to be better than the dorm alternative.
And then there's the building. The lower level of the building is really awesome, and there's plenty of space to spread out to visit with friends in comfort (nothing like what I saw at Porter, which sat empty cuz it's so unfriendly), meet in private with study groups, study on your own in quiet ....
Rock Harbor isn't advertising itself as private student apartments.
But, then I'm a girl. So, maybe it's different with guys??? ;-)
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refresh_please
Haha, Oompa Loompas....They will be very helpful in cleaning the weird graffiti off the building as well as installing the windows which I haven't been able to locate on the exterior of the building. I've lived in off campus housing for the majority of my college career. It is a whole lot cheaper and provides a perfect transition into life after graduation. For those who choose dorm life, one of the biggest draws is that they are generally located on campus thus making classes and facilities easy to access. This is something Rock Harbor cannot provide. Rock Harbor will most likely have trouble gaining student interest. I feel sorry for the respectable businesses and community organizations that got there names tied to this potential flop. I wish it luck regardless.
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senorita
If I were to go back to college this is the type of place I would have chosen to live. In the end it will be up to the students and where they want to live. This is so close to Buffalo State that I can't see how it would not work. Especially since there are students living at hotels downtown!
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treepeepl1
refresh, the windows are going to be put in on the front side. they are in abundance on the back side.
one of the things that makes you think there aren't many windows is cuz the ceilings are about 14' high. You know, like cathedral ceilings?
And congrats on living off campus for most of your college career. Most don't go that way until their masters years.
I know what you mean about easy access to classes. However, access to "facilities" at Rock Harobr Commons is waaaay easier than at the college. Here, everything is on site. you never have to walk out of the building!
This is a hybrid. it's unlike anything else out there.
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PaulBuffalo
Treepeepl1, when the project was first announced, I was very skeptical because this area ain't a neighborhood. It's the remnants of an industrial crossroads that isn't very inviting on many levels. However, I've been impressed with the marketing via the summer activities and how this project has evolved. I do see it providing a solution for students and acting as a catalyst for the evolution of a down-and-out section of the city.
Buffalo often takes one step forward and two steps backward, but the completion of these student digs is certainly a bold step in the right direction and something for which Buffalo can be thankful. With that said, Happy Thanksgiving to BRO readers.
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treepeepl1
PaulBuffalo, When this project was explained to me, I could envision it. And it makes sense. When I waked through the building and it was explained to me, I wanted to live there. LOL.
actually, every single person I've met who's walked through the building and had it explained to them has had a smiilar reaction. It's going to be the coolest place around and definitely comfortable. it has the best of all worlds.
Buffalo so really needs to move forward. And I think this is a great way to do it. I really hope that the students will take a serious step here and be a part of this groundbreaking project.
Have a wonderful thanksgiving and eat guiltlessly.
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