It is no secret that the relationship between Iona College and the community of New Rochelle has been strained in the past. 

Last year, after much opposition to the plan from members of the New Rochelle community, the college withdrew its proposed building plan to expand in the North Avenue “Megablock.”

With students still in dire need of on-campus housing, the college began to work with the New Rochelle community and also laid the plans for converting Walsh Hall into the new residence hall East Hall, which was built within nine months to house Iona’s residents.

The rejection forced administration to look for on-campus options, which led to the conception of East Hall, which was built within nine months to house Iona’s residents.

However, Iona is still looking to accommodate 160-200 more beds to comfortably house all of its residents, and the school believes it has found its answer in a North Avenue building proposal that will add 250-270 beds on campus.

“Overall I think the City of New Rochelle is looking to revitalize the North Avenue corridor and the NA [North Avenue] zoning,” said New Rochelle Councilmember Jared R. Rice.

“Student housing could be a catalyst for economic development,”

Rice was one of the two voting council members on the Community-College Planning Committee that first met last fall. The comprehensive committee included constituents that voiced the opinions of various neighborhood interests.

“What we wanted to do was solicit input to hear their thoughts and their advice about how the college could create residence halls in a way that minimizes negative impact to neighborhoods and increases positive impact,” said Iona College President Joseph E. Nyre.

The members have worked for over a year, along with Nyre and Mayor of New Rochelle Noam Bramson, to complete a final report of recommendations for the city council. The result is an option for a residence hall on North Avenue; the only problem is that the proposed building is too tall. Currently, the zoning ordinances for North Avenue do not allow more than three stories to be built; however the intended project calls for seven.

The final report states “the Committee recommends that the City of New Rochelle consider amending the City’s zoning ordinance to include college related facilities as a use allowed by special permit in the NA zone.”

If the city council abides by this recommendation, then the proposed residence hall may be developed as planned.

Nyre believes that the support of the Committee is a positive sign that will be considered when the council makes its decision, especially since the Mayor and two councilmen were part of the recommendation. Rice explained that the council consists of seven voting members and the majority opinion will determine the outcome.

“Ultimately it needs to go through the fair and balanced process of local government; it needs to be vetted,” said Nyre.

Since the final report has been released, there has been significant curiosity as to where on North Avenue the residence hall would be built. A Call for Concepts was issued by the college, which meant that property owners within a half-mile from LaPenta Student Union received a letter asking if they wanted to propose a development plan.

The vendor that has been selected owns property on North Avenue as well as a nearby street just off of it. Two buildings were proposed that go by “Building A” and “Building B” in the committee’s final report. The second building will be considered only when the college’s needs call for more housing and Nyre made it very clear that the college currently does not have any interest in a second building.

Iona’s focus is on “Building A.” The plan is for a seven story building, with the possibility of classrooms or commercial development on the first floor. The College cannot release all of the details at this time because they are still in the midst of negotiations with the vendor, who has asked for a confidentiality agreement.

Revealing the developer’s name could potentially harm his or her current business, which would be unfair to that individual and could also affect Iona’s plans with that person.

Utilizing a private developer such as this one means that the College does not have to take on the debt of the building costs and the vendor would be in charge of financing the project. After the residence hall is complete, he or she will rent the space out to Iona for the next 30 to 35 years. In that time, the school would still be able to manage the building as if it were its own.

At the end of the required lease, the school will own the building.

The addition of East Hall has created more space on campus to the point where the President does not anticipate having any students living in the Marriott next year. However, the College continues to push for better housing options for residents.

The completion of the proposed “Building A” on North Avenue means that the “Megablock” can become less congested and upperclassmen may have more suitable options to stay on campus longer.

Nyre believes that the best-case scenario for the residence hall to be completed and open for students is in the fall of 2014, however, negotiations cannot be finalized with the North Avenue ordinances as they are.

“Ultimately that will be in the hands of the city council members that have to vote [on] zoning changes,” said Nyre.