Historical September–October 2013 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Since moving to Skinker DeBaliviere in 1989, I have seen the neighborhood undergo a number of changes.
It has become more stable, more families live here and the presence of Washington University is greater.
Some Wash U faculty have always lived here (as well as professors from SLU, Webster, UMSL, etc.).
There have always been student renters and some have later bought homes here.
In the 1980s, a private company reached an agreement with Wash U to rent to their students. Wash U bought the buildings in the 1990s and added to them.
In recent years, Wash U has carried out extensive renovations on a number of their properties. Their security service patrols and responds to problems.
The augmentation of student residents has had positive as well as negative elements. For one, the students tend to walk or bike, adding people to our streets and increasing safety.
They also contribute to local businesses. Regrettably, there are fewer units for others who might wish to rent here.
I do not have a problem with the Wash U-owned buildings.
In my experience, their staff have been available and helpful. What I dislike is individual owners who buy single family homes–sometimes foreclosures–provide minimal rehab and then rent to 3 or 4 or more undergraduates. One landlord told me that she sought out sophomores as tenants.
These are 19 year olds.
The landlords are not close by, they are the last to cut the grass, they do not shovel snow nor do they monitor the behavior of their young tenants.
We have had problems with parties and noise late at night as well as tacky physical appearance.
These are the new slumlords.
They could rent to graduate students or others but they choose to maximize their income while various blocks suffer.
I have seen student ghettoes in Athens, Georgia and East Lansing.
We do not need this here.
I have shared my concerns with Wash U and they are sympathetic.
It is a conundrum but hopefully legitimate developers who wish to rehab single families for owner occupancy can take precedence over the new slumlords. Since I am on a roll, I also want to take on the dumpers–those who do not live here but bring building materials, old furniture, and many other things–and fill up our dumpsters, including recycling dumpsters.
If you see someone dumping, try to get the license plate and turn it into the police and/or the Citizens Service Bureau. Bins fill up quickly enough without the dumpers adding to the load. More than once I have been unable to put out my own trash because of the dumpers.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, September–October 2013.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2013_09.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
