As the footprint of ASU's Tempe campus continues to grow, local residents say the University's expansion has brought new challenges for longtime residents and families.
The University and off-campus developers are building more units to support an ever-increasing number of students arriving in Tempe each year.
The Mill Avenue residence hall, which opened earlier this semester, provides over 800 new beds on the west edge of the campus.
READ MORE: New Tempe residence hall for students of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
Tim Smith, the vice president of Facilities Development and Management, said in a statement that the University plans to build more student housing in the future.
One plan, which would yield about 750 more beds, would replace the existing Best, Irish and Hayden residence halls near Apache Boulevard with a new housing complex.
Smith wrote that on-campus housing "helps students build a strong sense of community, develop lifelong friendships, and provides additional amenities like academic support, mentoring, and co-curricular programs that are integrated into the residential experience."
Developers are also cashing in on the growing demand for student housing, with numerous high-rise projects under construction.
However, the expansion of the University's student population and the accompanying development have led to concerns from some longtime residents. The influx of students living in residential neighborhoods instead of on-campus housing has changed the character of these areas, some local homeowners said.
READ MORE: Small fish in a growing pond: Students experience finding their place at ASU
Joan Bahamonde, the acting secretary of the Maple Ash Neighborhood Association and a senior instructional designer at the University, said students are moving into single-family homes that might otherwise be occupied by families.
"For the vibrancy and the longevity of our neighborhood, we need families moving in," Bahamonde said. "We need kids to go to our schools and people who want to put down roots."
Bahamonde said many of the students who move in during their time at ASU leave Tempe after graduation. The constant rotation of tenants hurts the community, she said.
"They don't get embedded into the fabric, into the culture of the neighborhood," Bahamonde said. "They don't feel a connection to the people around them."
Mary Abeyta, a longtime resident of Tempe's Jen Tilly Terrace neighborhood, said students living in the neighborhoods surrounding campus often lack consideration for their neighbors. Students throw parties and expect nearby residents to "deal with it."
However, Abeyta said blaming students alone misses the bigger picture.
"I think what's happening is gentrification," Abeyta said. "I don't know that it's necessarily a generational thing."
READ MORE: Is Tempe seeing a wave of gentrification?
Abeyta has also witnessed others in the community experience rent increases with the expansion of neighborhood homes.
"All the rents and stuff around here have gone up so much that I don't think families can afford (it)," Abeyta said.
Bahamonde said some residents feel the University ought to build its own student housing rather than expecting nearby neighborhoods to take in the overflow. While the University continues to build new on-campus housing, Bahamonde acknowledged there will still be a demand from students to move into residential areas, due to extra amenities and more private settings.
She also said some community members feel "powerless" against the growing impact of students.
"Time and time again, it's the residents who walk away from the table getting the shaft," Bahamonde said. "It's kind of hard to think of it ending any other way."
Edited by Carsten Oyer, Senna James, Katrina Michalak and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at jonahmanthey@asu.edu and follow @_therealjonah on X.
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