Vestal area residents have expressed marked opposition to elementary plans of a luxury housing complex for Binghamton University students.

Campus Crest, a North Carolina based company, has publicized preliminary plans to construct an 11-building complex called The Grove on Bunn Hill Road, adjacent to the University.

The Grove, a 500-person gated community, would feature amenities like a swimming pool and bocce courts.

Informal construction outlines were submitted to the Vestal town and Planning Boards at two separate meetings last week.

Though The Grove may sound appealing to students looking for something more upscale than residence halls, some Vestal residents have expressed fear that an increased student presence would degrade the quality of life in local neighborhoods.

Robert Johnson, a Vestal homeowner who lives opposite the prospective construction site, said he and his family are against the commercialization of Bunn Hill Road.

“Many people in the neighborhood are against it, it would pull the country atmosphere right out of this place,” Johnson said. An influx of students wouldn’t blend in well with the majority of single family homes in the vicinity, he added.

Similar sentiments of disapproval have echoed throughout the local area. Since the preliminary plans for the complex were drawn out, the town of Vestal has received over 200 petitions and letters from concerned homeowners near Bunn Hill Road.

“There have only been two letters in favor of the apartments,” said Peter Andreasen, Vestal town supervisor. He estimated that at least 70 Vestal residents arrived to protest The Grove at each of the two recent meetings.

Andreasen emphasized that Campus Crest’s proposal was primarily to gauge the reaction of community members to the idea.

“The town has not received an official application from the developers,” Andreasen said. “I don’t anticipate one soon.”

In the event that an official development plan is submitted to the town of Vestal, it will be subject to several rounds of inspection before it can be approved.

“If the Zoning Board doesn’t approve it, there’s no chance it will go on,” Andreasen said.

Vestal’s Town Planning Board would also have the opportunity to tweak and discard certain aspects of any official proposal.

Although many Vestal residents have taken a prominent stance on The Grove’s possible construction, there has been a limited response among BU students.

“I honestly haven’t heard any students’ reactions yet. It’s early,” said Stephanie Adamec, assistant director for Housing of Off Campus College.