An education in town-gown relations

Kent is a nice small town with a state university that's expanding and improving on many levels. The university has a dynamic president who's pushing to remake the physical campus, raise the academic performance of its students and spread the word of Kent State's successes.

City manager Dave Ruller, who has been in his job just slightly longer than KSU president Lester Lefton, has done a remarkable job of working with private developers to reshape his downtown into an exciting place to work and play.

Now, they're both facing the challenges that come from success. The city, which is the beneficiary of some $100 million in new projects, has a concern that new housing development on the periphery of campus and others planned for a spot near the football stadium might leave some blighted houses in neighborhoods close to the campus.

It's great that the city and university, which have enjoyed strong, cooperative relationships under Messrs. Ruller and Lefton, are thinking about a plan to avoid problems with houses abandoned by “customers” (aka student renters) who choose newer, better options.

To that, I can only say that for too long, in Kent and every other college town large and small, landlords have squeezed exorbitant rents out of students and their families with minimal reinvestment in the properties. It's the ultimate validation of that trite real estate joke about “location, location, location” being the three most important words to the profession.

Owners of houses and apartment buildings in walking distance of campuses always have had it way too good. As I have driven on or around college campuses, it has appeared to me that owners of the houses closest have been able to charge way too much for the value they deliver.

Now, that's about to change in Kent, with the development of newer apartment options. Owners of some of the university neighborhood rental homes might actually have to spruce up the places to be competitive.

Simplistic, I know, but it needs to be a point of discussion when the university and town representatives plot their future.

As the university works to extend its beautiful esplanade — the walking path that winds along the western edge of campus — into downtown and connect to all the wonderful redevelopment projects, it's encouraging that continuing that redevelopment into the nearby residential neighborhoods be a priority as well. It would be great if both parties win in all this redevelopment.

“Town-gown” relationships can sometimes be strained. The town gets a major employer and its residents get easy access to a higher-education option for their children — one that doesn't involve expensive housing and meal plans. But with the presence of thousands of young people, there are bound to be problems from time to time.

What counts is how the two parties agree to handle the challenges, and so far it appears Kent and the university are doing the right things.

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