Article

Downtown housing nixed; students stuck in area hotel

All construction on the Suites has been halted, leaving students stuck at the Grand Royale Hotel.
Scott Lipnick - Staff Writer

Nicole Flatow/photo
Students living at the Grand Royale are forced to come up with innovative storage solutions.

It has been said that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Evidently, the Binghamton Suites will not be built at all.

All construction on the Suites has been halted, leaving students who signed leases stuck at the adjacent Grand Royale Hotel.

In an article in the Sept. 26, 2000 issue of the Press and Sun Bulletin, Binghamton Mayor Richard A. Bucci called for a “greater University presence downtown.” Bucci highlighted schools such as Union College and Cornell University that have constructed off-campus living complexes.

“We can make it work downtown,” Bucci said in the article. “We have all the variables in place; all we need is the committment.”

One site targeted for construction was the former Drazen building located on 96-98 State Street in downtown Binghamton. State Street is also home to popular late night hangouts such as the Sports Bar, JT’s, the Rathskeller Pub and Uncle Tony’s.

Since May, the student community known as the Binghamton Suites has encountered numerous “construction-related issues,” as cited by developers. Assistant Controller for the University, Anna Cornell, said cost was the primary predicament for the suites.

Students who had signed the lease said they chose the suites because the buildings seemed desirable to those who wished to live off campus.

“It’s like they dangled a gold chain in front of us, and now there is nothing there,” said Matthew Becker, a junior political science major, who now lives in the hotel.

Designs, which were developed by Landmark Hospitality Management, called for approximately 18 four-bedroom apartments. Each unit would be fully furnished with wall-to-wall carpeting. The price would have been $450 a month, with utilities and parking included. Prior to guaranteed completion, 19 students signed leases. The students expected to move in at the start of fall semester.

But that will never happen.

Kevin Zern, director of operations for Landmark Hospitality Management, also cited money as justification to suspend the project.

“We’ve done what we can; we tried to be fair,” said Zern. “We redid, redid, and redid [the plans] again. There is nothing we can do.”

Zern also pointed to structural problems within the Drazen building, such as heating and plumbing which forced construction costs to skyrocket. Landmark is now planning to sell the building, making all plans for the Binghamton Suites officially extinct.

Students now have the option of remaining in the Grand Royale Hotel for the remainder of the year, or they can look for their own housing.

“I can’t find a house to live in…they screwed us,” Becker said. “I would much rather have the promised apartments.”

Becker also cited problems within the hotel, such as an inadequate kitchen used by the hotel to cook for events and only available weekdays, lack of high-speed Internet, early morning noise and a poor security system. If he lived in the Binghamton Suites, he would not have to deal with these predicaments.

Junior Joong Kim, an economics major, also expressed dissatisfaction with the situation. “I’m eating out every day,” he said. “It’s something I didn’t figure into living cost. They said they would come up with a new kitchen; it’s all a lie.” Kim also discussed how the hotel assured the students they would upgrade their Internet connection. “They never did anything about it; nothing promised is given to us.”

Many students also said they considered taking legal action. All students had signed legal contracts for their apartments in the Binghamton Suites.

“They never even submitted construction requests to City Hall… its unbelievable; the people we are dealing with here,” said junior political science major Jon Bodner. In addition to Bodner, both Kim and Becker also mentioned that legal action was a possibility.

Even though many students were dissatisfied with the extinction of the Binghamton Suites, some students are pleased with the hotel. Brendan Mooney, a senior history major observed, “It is comfortable, nice and clean here. There are drawbacks with the kitchen and the common room but it’s just as nice.”

Zern also commented on the dissatisfaction of some students. He noted that in the first month, six or seven students left and found other housing. Of the students who are still living in the hotel, general manager of the Grand Royale Hotel, Kalli Henkiel, said there has been, “No reaction… we are in the process of trying to move the students to their own floors, away from guest rooms.” Henkiel also said students are allowed to remain in the hotel for the remainder of the year, at $400 a month.

With the Binghamton Suites project suspended, it remains to be seen if there will be any new projects in the foreseeable future. Speaking for the university, Anna Cornell stated, “We’ve tried to work with [development groups] to develop off campus housing. If it doesn’t work out, it’s their responsibility.”