Over the semester break, Iona announced that it had purchased the Mirage Diner over the summer.

Due to a nondisclosure agreement, the two parties could not release the news of the purchase until this month.

The purchase is part of an effort to improve North Avenue and expand the campus to increase student living options.

The owner of the diner, Nick Triantafillou, came to Iona at the end of the summer offering to sell the long time staple of the Iona community to the college in confidence that they would develop it well.

“The college plans to build a mixed use building with housing for students and commercial space on the first floor,” said Anne Marie Schettini-Lynch, Iona College Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration.

Mirage Diner has been open for over fifteen years and was open 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

The purchase of the diner has left students with mixed emotions.

Some of them are sad that the place they used to go to hang out and eat will soon be gone.

“I don’t think it’s a good move because the diner is a great place for people to hang out and get a variety of things,” said senior Pete Consadori.

“It was just so convenient across from campus and the dorms.”

One of the things that students enjoy most about the diner is that it is open at all hours of the night, making it one of the few eateries that are open past midnight.

Since on-campus eateries close at 11 p.m., the diner is one of the limited places Iona students can eat using their meal plan late at night.

Iona’s plan to turn the property into residential living for students has some students optimistic about the opportunities that will come.

“I grew up here in New Rochelle and lived here my entire life, so I am sad to see a staple go, but I am happy that they are going to use it for dorms instead of making another restaurant,” said junior Kali Steverson.

“We have kids all the way at the Marriott which is such a trek for them.”

As of now the diner will continue operation, and students will not see a change in their late-night diner runs in the near future.

Current students do not have to fear about the diner closing during their four-year stay at Iona.

“The changes to the diner will not go into effect for a few years,” said Lynch.

The purchase of property for college use is one of the many ways that Iona plans to develop North Avenue, according to a campus Communiqué that was send to the Iona community on Jan. 2.

The Communiqué also said Iona is looking to improve aesthetics along North Avenue and is working with the City of New Rochelle to do so.

This includes funding to update the storefronts on North Avenue.

The Mirage Diner has been added to the list of Iona’s properties, which include the recent purchase of Cannone’s Pizza and Campus Wings.

The efforts Iona is making to spend money in order to benefit their students will not go unnoticed, as there will be many more living options.

People in the community will certainly miss a trusted eating spot that has pleased people for years with the quality of their food.