WSU considering replacing older apartments

University considers buying a private complex for housing.

FAIRBORN — Wright State University is considering purchasing a privately owned apartment complex to replace older living space on campus.

The university is planning the second required appraisal of Campus Village at Cimarron Woods, which has about 300 beds, to replace the Forest Lane apartments acquired by Wright State in the mid-1970s.

“It’s a nice replacement and also it’s so close to campus,” said Dan Abrahamowicz, WSU’s vice president of student affairs.

Wright State has not added housing on campus since the early 2000s, when the Honors Community was built to accommodate 450 students.

The university experienced a large growth in the number of students living on campus in the 1990s, when the number ballooned to the current 3,000 from about 1,500, Abrahamowicz said.

The increase was a result of more students out of high school attending college, he said. Wright State was able to accommodate the growth with their partner AM Management, which owns most of the university’s student housing.

“By and large, having the full collegiate experience is the main attraction,” Abrahamowicz said.

Students enjoy the convenience of living on campus, the safety and other amenities, including wireless Internet in all residence halls, Abrahamowicz said.

The Forest Lane apartments were last updated about nine years ago, but the property is in need of a growing amount of maintenance, Abrahamowicz said.

Portions of the Cimarron Woods complex were built three years ago, he said.

Wright State’s first appraisal valued the complex at $5 million, which is less than the current $9 million asking price.

The complex was last sold in 2004 for just more than $4 million, according to the Greene County Auditor. The property has $199,115 of delinquent taxes due, according to the auditor’s office.

Cimarron Woods’ owner, Michigan-based Campus Village Management, had no comment on the property being for sale, a spokesman said. The company’s president, Ernie Schaefer, is a Wright State alumnus.

The university would need approval from the state to purchase the property.

“We’ll have to think hard about how we want to proceed,” Abrahamowicz said.

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