Jean A. MacKimmie: UMass working on and providing housing solutions

In a recent article, John Hornik, a former chair of the Amherst Housing Trust, incorrectly asserted that the university “has severely restricted housing for families on campus while only providing a small boost in graduate student housing” [“Nonprofit developers say cost, siting chief barriers to affordable housing in Valley,”Gazette, Jan. 29]. While housing availability and affordability are undeniably challenges that must be addressed, both locally and statewide, UMass Amherst is working to provide concrete solutions.

Rather than limiting housing options for graduate students and families, as Mr. Hornik suggests, UMass Amherst has made major improvements in on-campus family and graduate housing. We have improved our family housing significantly, building 140 new two-bedroom apartments, which replaced the aging and obsolete North Village complex.

With apartments priced below market rate, the new University Village complex provides attractive and popular family housing options for our students with dependents. Additionally, we have added 600 undergraduate beds and expanded our on-campus offerings for graduate students by 55% with the replacement of the university’s Lincoln apartments complex with the new Fieldstone development on Massachusetts Avenue.

Finally, as the university solicits proposals from developers to upgrade and expand our housing stock, we remain committed to finding creative ways to foster a vibrant and thriving campus community.

Jean A. MacKimmie

Director of Residential Life, UMass Amherst, Amherst