2000 Comm. Ave. no longer 'off campus'provides a unique situation.

A year ago, sophomores were just starting to think about looking for housing off campus, if at all. Many turned their eyes to Archstone 2000 Commonwealth Ave., the spacious apartments located only a 10-minute walk from campus.

The building is not available to sophomores looking to live off campus next year, though. Instead, it will open in the fall of 2011 to students as University housing.

The addition of the building is part of the effort to house all students on campus, with new residence halls being built on Main and Brighton campuses.

John Bertolon, CSOM '10, who currently lives in the building, said, "I think it will be a pretty nice dorm. I would want to live [there]."

But students have mixed feelings about this. While they generally agree that the purchase of the building as University housing is good for both the University and the students, some now are a bit perturbed because they have to change their plans.

"It's a good idea [to make it into dorms], but it's personally frustrating because I'm considering staying off campus next year, and now I'll have to go through the whole process of finding some place again," said Micaela Carucci, current resident and A&S '10.

The building is made up of one- and two-bedroom apartments, which will be converted into two- and four-man apartments. All the apartments have a kitchen, living room, at least one bathroom, and a balcony or terrace. The two-bedroom apartments have two bathrooms, and two bedrooms, one larger than the other. The building also features an exercise facility, a pool, and an underground garage.

Some elements of the building will have to change for it to be University housing. Especially after a BC graduate student fell from a second-floor balcony of 2017 Commonwealth Ave. earlier this year, the balconies and terraces at 2000 will have to be considered.

"They'll have to remove the balconies because that's a liability," Bertolon said. They may just have another "red tab" to prohibit opening the doors.

The garage underneath the building will offer more parking on campus, which is always a consideration at an urban school.

"I'm curious to see how the University will use the garage, and if they will offer it to students or faculty," Carucci said. Parking on campus is very limited, and it is difficult for students to obtain on-campus parking. Either way, the added parking will help to relieve issues around the limited availability. As far as the conversion to house more students in each apartment, students think it will fit comfortably.

"I think it will be nicer than [the fit in] Edmond's; there is a lot more space and two bathrooms," said Mike Morrissey, CSOM '10, who lived in a four-man apartment in Edmond's last year and a two-bedroom apartment in 2000 this year. Many students, including Bertolon and Morrissey, have three people living in the two-bedroom apartments already, so one more person won't be too hard.

The apartments at 2000 Commonwealth Ave. differ from other housing the University offers. Most apartments and suites are very uniform, unlike the different-sized rooms in the two-bedroom apartments. The added parking availability also sets the building apart. While some current housing buildings have parking lots outside, the garage in the new housing, separate from the rest of campus, 2000 Comm. Ave. no longer 'off campus'provides a unique situation.

The popularity of the Commonwealth building as University housing is hard to predict. It is about a 10-minute walk from Lower Campus, and there is a bus stop on the Comm. Ave. bus route just outside.

"It will be a bit removed from campus," Bertolon said.

The spacious apartments and new amenities may counter the distance.

"There are better locations, but it is definitely nicer than most on-campus housing," Morrissey said.

The distance may not be as restricting as some students may consider it.

"It is more of a struggle to get from Upper Campus to Lower Campus than from 2000 to Lower because there are no stairs. You're also right in the thick of things: The bus and the T are right outside, and you can walk to campus or Cleveland Circle," Bertolon said.

The 2000 Commonwealth Ave.apartments will be an interesting addition to University housing. It will offer 560 more beds to students, which is about the number in most existing residence halls, making it a great move for the University, as it plans to house 100 percent of its students on campus.

No one really knows how the off-campus apartments will be received. Will living there be like being exiled to Newton or College Road or will it be coveted like eight-man suites or the Mods?

Only time will tell, once the new housing is added to the lottery.