QU Buys Up The Neighborhood

When college kids officially move into 93 Lucien Dr., a three-bedroom ranch that has stood nestled within Hamden’s woodsy first district since 1968, they’ll make neighborhood history — by turning the street of long-term Hamden families into a majority Quinnipiac student-housing row.

Quinnipiac University purchased 93 Lucien Dr. for $140,500 — roughly $55,000 less than the home’s most recently appraised value — on Dec. 2. That property transaction, part of an ongoing effort by Quinnipiac to buy up Hamden properties to expand student housing, moved the 24-home Lucien Drive up from 12 Quinnipiac-owned residences to 13. (Scroll down to the bottom of this story to review all recent real-estate transactions in town.)

​“It’s terrible,” Sal Laudano said of Quinnipiac’s takeover of Lucien Drive.

Laudano grew up in a house at the end of Lucien Drive before moving to Dixwell Avenue, where he raised his daughter. After his mom passed two years ago, he purchased and moved back into his childhood home.

“It’s the QU mentality of just taking out neighborhoods,” Laudano said, that troubles him. ​“We have no power whatsoever.”

Even those with intentions to sell to ostensibly community-oriented homeowners inevitably sell out to Quinnipiac because of the university’s ability and will to out-offer competitive bids, he observed.

The last house Quinnipiac bought on Lucien Dr. was 93 Lucien’s next-door neighboring property, 99 Lucien, a year ago on Nov. 19, 2020. In that transaction, Quinnipiac offered roughly $50,000 more than the appraised value, at $250,000. According to Quinnipiac’s website, students pay $7,435 to live in off-campus housing each semester.

For more than two decades Quinnipiac has been picking up residential properties and parcels of land between New Road and Whitney Avenue, including Kimberly Road, Mount Carmel Avenue, Hogan Road, and Renshaw Road.

University Spokesperson John Morgan described those home purchases as ​“strategic acquisitions that have helped build continuity between the Mount Carmel Campus and our off-campus housing while also creating a buffer on the western edge of the campus.”

He said that Quinnipiac pays full property taxes on those residential buildings.

Laudano said that his problem with Quinnipiac’s residential acquisitions is not about lost revenue.

Nor is it about boisterous or obnoxious behavior from neighboring college students, though residents on other streets have long complained about kids trashing the area and causing disruption by partying off-campus.

“The kids aren’t bad … they’re respectful,” he said. But their impermanence, taking off in winter months and leaving the street half empty throughout the summer, represents a loss of community to Laudano. He misses ​“a beautiful neighborhood” where he used to observe ​“young mothers and fathers” pushing their children in strollers — but recognizes that he will most likely end up also selling to Quinnipiac later on if they beat his asking price, despite his intention to ​“try to hold out.”

Because Quinnipiac also owns a parcel of land immediately adjacent to Laudano’s home, Quinnipiac could potentially make big structural changes to the neighborhood if he sold his property to the university, Laudano pointed out.

He still remembers when the open space abutting his property was a Christmas tree farm. When Quinnipiac bought that land, they put up a fence, paved over the dirt to create university parking, and erected lighting towers that Laudano said shine onto his property at night.

Laudano said he feels pressure from other neighbors to keep his house out of Quinnipiac’s hands.

Part of that has to do with inevitable changes in leadership at the university. Laudano said that his neighbors originally had a ​“handshake agreement” with the prior president of Quinnipiac to put only professors and staff into university-owned homes — but that when leadership changed, the focus shifted to building student housing.

But, if Quinnipiac decides to continue buying up Lucien Drive residencies and offers the best deal for his home when he chooses to sell, Laudano asked, ​“What choice do I have?”

Check out the chart below to trace other real estate transactions filed by the town in the past couple of weeks, which include a residential purchase on Westerfield Road by Mandy Management, under the LLC ​“Netz Bonds New Haven V ADD De LLC,” and another limited liability corporation acquisition of a property on Brookhaven Road for nearly twice the appraised value.