Fleming sees the impact more in terms of market appeal for the neighborhood in general. Ford, however, argues that K-State students are just as much a part of this community as the families are. Students are the backbone of this community, he said. The way he sees it, without K-State, Manhattan wouldn t be anything. After all, these structures aren t cropping up all over the west side of town.
City officials say that s due to the cost of land and the economics of such structures.
With these houses it s more economical to remove and replace it with a newer structure, said Eric Cattell, the city s assistant director for planning. In addition, this city s housing shortage also plays a role. There s definitely a demand in the community for housing, he said. Some claim that Kansas State University has not met its obligation with regard to student housing. Developers argue that they re the only ones that are meeting that demand and doing it according to code.