Apartments Dominate Lawrence; Vacancies Increase
Editor's note: This is the first of a three-part series on the apartment situation in New York.
By PATK. MALONE
Kansan Staff Writer
Lawrence has more apartments than it needs, but more are going up. Because they're more economical — in costs and in space — they will become more and more numerous.
Builders and realtors in the area will admit, with some hedging, that apartments are overbuilt. But they say their home construction is more durable; construction may slump for two or three years while demand catches up, multi-unit construction will resume dominance of the Lawrence residential construction dominance it has enjoyed since 1963.
Its dominance has been almost
Interpretive Analysis
overwhelming; building permits issued in Lawrence for single-unit dwellings account for only one-fourth of the new housing units in the last 10 years.
Here is what the experts say about residential construction in Lawrence:
Apartments of the future will have more and more amenities (luxury features such as dishwashers, clubhouses, recreational facilities) and will be surrounded by more open land than many apartments built in the '60s.
—PLANNED UNIT development, which includes housing of all types—single unit, duplex, townhouse, apartment, etc. in one subdivision, will be a major future
- To offset rising land costs, more housing units must be put on each acre, and to offset rising construction costs, units often share walls.
— Rising costs— in materials, labor, land and interest rates — make it harder for new apartment complexes to compete with existing ones. New complexes must have either higher
—Few apartment complexes make a profit from rentals. Their attractiveness to investors is in the income tax savings they provide.
occupancy rates or higher rental rates, or both. And to still be competitive with higher rental rates, they must offer more. Hence, new apartments are more lavishly appointed and have more extras to entice renters.
GETTING APARTMENT owners to admit they have high vacancy rates is to get them to admit that they are in financial distress. Thus there are no accurate figures on the number of unleased apartments in Lawrence. In addition, the number varies seasonally with fluctuations in University enrollment when the fall, spring and summer sessions.
Frank Raley Jr., president of Lawrence Construction Co., which owns Mall's Old English Village and Southridge Plaza apartments, says, "This past year we've suffered an increase in vacancy rates," but he can't pin down a figure. Neither can Dune Schwaada, president of Continental Construction Co., which owns Meadowlark units, that vacancies at Meadowbrook are higher than they've been in the past.
Others in the business quote various occupancy rate figures ranging upwards of McClanahan's 60 per cent, and some simply say that supply is two to three years ahead of demand. Still others say that there's no problem, but they're in the business section. They say that to use a realer's euphemism, the market is strong, especially in two-bedroom apartments, and that the problem has risen in the past year.
ANOTHER APARTMENT MENTOR, William Lemesany (University Terrace and Olde Mill apartments), said that while his vacancies were low, a count he made showed 300 unrented units in the city in February.
Dick McClanathan, city planner, is convinced that "apartments are overdeveloped. From my talk with apartment owners, the average occupancy is 60 per cent. Some are as low as 20 per cent."
Chalmers Cites Goals Accomplishments of KU
Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers Jr. said Wednesday that the University of Kansas had accomplished many of the goals in achieving the achievement during the 1971-72 academic year.
One of Chalmers' personal goals was to "achieve new support" for the University and to reverse the negative attitudes that some citizens in the state had toward KU.
Chalmer's said many groups assisted in the projection of a positive image. He cited as examples Students Concerned for Higher Education in Kansas, Alumni from various colleges and a numerous faculty and administrators who spoke throughout the state this year.
The response by the state legislature met the chancellor's expectations in terms of the budget.
Chalmers said that gifts given to the University by private sources exceeded last year's and he also said new enrollment for next year would be up.
Chalmers also called this academic year a 'launching' of new programs and policies.
Among those policies that will have a major effect on the University in the future was the implementation of Senate regulation 34.2, he said.
University Senate regulation 3.4.2. allows for a minimum of 20 per cent student representation on all policy making committees of the University.
"It was a launching year for significant change." Chalmers says.
He cited the reevaluation of degree requirements and the new look at the organization of the College of Liberal Arts. He also pointed out that he expected changes in these areas to
occur during the next academic year.
Chalmers also commented the action by the Board of Regents to move toward a more forward approach.
As for what didn't happen this year, Chalmers said the University did not lose any key faculty, nor did the mood of the department move to take the actions of the federal government.
Odds Favor Wallace Win In Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama and Presidentixon are favored to win easily in Iowa, the first presidential preference primary today.
The presidential preference ballots were formulated in March by state election officials, who are bound by law to place on the ballot as many as they generally considered to be a candidate.
The ballot also includes a referendum on school busing, which asks voters whether they favor a constitutional amendment outlawing desegregation busing.
Wallace, one of 11 Democrats listed on the ballot, was the only candidate who campaigned seriously for the state's 49 national convention votes.
Tennessee law stipulates that national convention delegates must support the primary winner until he fails to get 20 percent of the convention vote.
This worries city planner McClanahan. He is afraid that fierce competition may result in a rent war. "We now have most of the money we need to meet mortgage payments and taxes. If they go into a rent war, we won't be able to afford it," she said. "Maintenance is the first thing to go."
For the near future, especially this summer, when occupancy rates are perennially the lowest, this means low rental rates for apartment dwellers.
**Few, HOWEVER, foresee a rent war. But many agree that apartment building will slow down in the next couple of years. Investment money for residential condos would be needed if the market is saturated, Schwanda points out. "We won't see much apartment
growth in the near future, but the minute those units start filling up, more will be needed.
Continental Construction's newest project, the $30 million in Manhattan where the action
Another real estate developer suing down its construction in Lawrence is Viking Investment Corporation. Viking built more than 900 apartment units in Lawrence (including Park Plaza South, Gatehouse, Ridgelea and P-23) in the city's 60s, more than 600 units in Columbia, Mo., and 300 some units in Manhattan.
Now, according to John Weatherwax,
Viking comptroller," the college market is somewhat overbuilt," and Viking is going into cities such as Omaha, Des Moines.
VIKING RAN the crest of the wave of apartment building in Lawrence in the '60s, a boom which was caused. Weatherwax says, by the rapid increase in enrollment at KU in the '60s. The post-World War II baby boom, he pointed out, hit the colleges around 1965. But in 1969, Viking university enrollment increases were beginning to taper off, and hence began the move to other housing markets.
Colorado Springs and Springfield, Ill., which show much lower vacancy rates than surrounding areas.
predictions published by the State Education Commission in January 1972 predicted that fall 1981 enrollment at KU was 31,235, a 10-year increase of 15 per cent.
The statistics bear out Weatherwax's observations. In 1961, fulltime equivalent enrollment at CU was 10,600. By the fall of 1982, that number had increased to 80 per cent increase. But enrollment
Part of the dramatic tapering off of enrollment increases is due to the change in birthrates, but a big factor is the growth of junior colleges in Kansas, says Raymond Nichols, executive secretary of the University.
IN THE PAST two years alone, KU has not received its usual share of the new student population in Kansas, and some students have been especially the Kansas Union fire, for this. Realtors, too, have noticed a major trend of people wanting to move to homes in the
82nd Year. No.136
The University of Kansas—Lawrence Kansas
Senate OK's Deficit Budget, Allocates $18.030 to BSU
Thursday, May 4, 1972
Bv CATHY SHERMAN
"What we are setting up is our own welfare system," Murfin said, "and the Senate doesn't have the amount of funds he can empower to regulate such a system."
HAL RITTER
Kansan Staff Writers
The Student Senate has approved a fiscal 1972-73 student activity fee budget of $487,005.87, $13,605.87 more than the anticipated $474,400 in student fees for 1972-73.
"It is not the position of the Student Senate to fund something from the student activity fee not affecting University of Kansas students," Murfin said.
The deficit budget resulted after the Senate approved the final four budget requests Wednesday night in its last meeting of the semester.
After nearly two hours of debate, the Senate approved in a roll call vote 51-10, with 6 abstentions, an allocation of $18,030 for the financial support made upon the recommendation of the special committee formed at the Senate meeting last Wednesday after members of the Senate's Finance and Auditing Committee agreed to concern the programs of BSU and Blacktack. The committee was comprised of seven non-Finance and Auditing Committee Senators and seven BSU and other members, all with equal voting privileges.
Dave Murfin, Wichita sophomore, made a motion, which was later defeated, urging the Senate not to fund the BSU programs of food subsidy, bus service to school and physical education equipment for black families at Hope Plaza.
THE FUNDING of three BSU community service projects at the low income housing development at Hope Plaza included in the approved BSU budget had been opposed by several senators.
Murfin recognized the need for such programs, but asked the Senate to consider the extent of its responsibilities in community involvement.
LESCHWARTZ, Overland Park junior, pointed out that if the Senate deleted funding of the BSU community service programs, it should also eliminate funding of Douglas County Legal Aid, and other community service programs.
Dave Abbrey, Lawrence graduate student, also questioned Murfin's reasoning concerning Senate involvement in community service projects.
"If you think that black student and black community problems don't directly affect the University, then you are naive," Awbrey said. "Students are registered to vote here, but pay no taxes other than sales tax, usually. Funds from the student body should help pay a little toward student responsibility to the city of Lawrence."
The allocation to the BSU was made with the provision that, except in the case of the food subsidy program, any grant allocated to the Senate would receive within the year toward its other assets should be applied against the Senate's allocation and to the contingency fund.
DUANE VANN, Lawrence sophomore and a representative from BSU, said that the BSU had been holding a number of fund raising events, such as dances and dinners, so that the food subsidy program would become self-supporting.
"We don't want this give away program to continue," Vann said. "We want to get this program to a point where it will work on its own."
Vann said the BSU was also "tired of going through a hassle each year to convince you that life is more important than basketball games or sailboats."
The Senate also approved the special committee's recommendation of $1,610 to Blacktect. The Finance and Auditing Committee had originally reduced Blacktect's request of $7,128 to a recommendation of $850, because it was understood by the committee that most of its uses were used for recruitment purposes which is not allowed under Senate guidelines for funding organizations.
RON LUCAS, Kansas City, Kan. junior,
explained that Blackett was not just
concerned with recruiting black students to the technical fields. He said that the funds would also be used for soliciting scholarships for students and fostering general community awareness of the student's immediate environment.
The Yellow Brick Road School, an alternative to public schooling, received an allocation of $4,350 from the Senate in a call vote记 27,26, with six absentations, four absent and five on leave, and children in the School addressed the Senate in response to negative allegations of some senators at the Senate meeting last Monday concerning the conduct of the school. At that meeting the Senate had approved of the School based on these allegations.
John Murphy, professor of law and the father of two pre-school children in the Bronx, said that the group was that representatives from the School had not been informed that the allocation was to be discussed at the time. "We have a 'respond to the fantastic allegations that
See DEFICTT BUDGET Page 7
U.S. May Raise War Aid
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the military situation in Southeast Asia worsening, U.S. Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird ordered a top-level team of logistics officers to deploy an air mission Wednesday to determine whether Saigon will require more American military aid.
Pentagon spokesman Jerry W. Frieden said the group, which is headed by one of Laird's top civil assistance and accompanied by five U.S. generals, would be tasked with training them and what additional measures might be needed to protect the remaining U.S. troops.
They will determine. Friedheim said, what weapons of Saigon's hard-hit troops will be replaced as well as what arms may be used to fight new and sophisticated Soviet weapons."
Friedheim said it was possible the South
Vietnamese could get along with what they have. But, he added, if new weapons were needed, the United States may have to give them back to Vietnam or the South Vietnamese to use the weapons.
MEANWHILE, Republican congressional leaders at the White House quoted Adm. Thomas Moorer Jr., chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying "only time will tell" the outcome of the enemy offensive in Vietnam.
House Republican Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan said he emerged from the session with a sense of cautious optimism, "I am my impression that time is on our side."
Friedheim would not speculate on what new weapons the U.S. could send over in time to counter Hanol's invasion. But these are likely to include more modern antitank long-range artillery which could be airlifted across the Pacific in a matter of days.
"BUT IN THE secretary's view the massive Communist invasion across the demilitarized zone and the introduction of new and sophisticated Soviet weapons into the enemy's operational inventory make it difficult to maintain the logistics situation," Friedheim said.
Until now, he said, Laird has been satisfied that the Vietnamization program has provided Saigon with adequate military supplies and equipment.
U. S. military officials in South Vietnam reported earlier this week that the enemy was using a new type of hand-held, heat-seeking antaircraft missile which they was responsible for downing two of the American aircraft lost in the past two days.
Heading the six-man logistics team to
Vietnam is Barry Hilliard assistant
director of the airline's global logi
BSU Proposes Research Center in Effort to Regain Funds
Student Senate and BSU debate allocations cut for next year's budget
Kansas Staff Photo by ED LALLO
★
50 Plan Local March Protesting War Today
About 50 persons met Wednesday night in the Wesley Center to discuss plans for today's antiwar march and rally. Today's activities are scheduled to coincide with action in other parts of the country as part of the moratorium against the war in Vietnam.
Bob Davidson, Salma sophomore and spokesman for the coordinating committee for the rally, said that an antwar group would meet at 11:00 a.m., today, outside of McColm Hall. The scheduled to begin its march at 11:38 a.m.
The protesters plan to march down Jayhawk Boulevard on their way to South Park, where they will meet a second group of protesters, Davidson said. The two men leave South Park at noon and march to Central Park, where the rally will be held.
Davidson said the rally would begin at 12:30 p.m. with music and would be held at the university where those scheduled to speak are Mike Maher, professor of biology at the University of Kansas; Alice Pulliam, Lawrence University; Viktoria Vietnams for the War; Dana
Santee of the Lawrence Peace Committee;
Rev Don Baldwin of the United
Ministry.
A gathering will follow the speeches, Davison said, where people from Lawrence will have a chance to talk with students and faculty at the University.
"We want to involve the community," Davidson said. "There won't be a lot of students at the University over the summer, so we need to involve the
Also discussed at the meeting were plans for a demonstration at Forbes Air Force base in Toppea. Beginning Friday, a group of students will be given antiwar information at the entrance to the base. The group plans to continue distributing the information till May 20 when a demonstration has been scheduled by protesters and airmen stationed at the base.
Tentative plans were also made to send a group of protesters to Topeka on May 28 when that city's Avenue of Flags will be dedicated. Among guests at the ceremony were President Sipro Agnew, actor John Wayne and the Marine Corps Marching Band.