As Auburn grows, new student housing pops up all over town, including in downtown Auburn.
Some people are worried this new growth will change the small town feel of Auburn and transform it into something unrecognizable.
Keep Auburn Lovely is a grassroots group of concerned citizens who are worried about the type of development in Auburn, especially downtown. They formed when the first apartment moratorium was put in place in February.
"It was just people who cared about the developments of student housing and the over-development of student housing," said Anna Solomon, Keep Auburn Lovely member and facilitator in the Harrison School of Pharmacy. "We felt like we might make a difference if we could encourage people to get more information and be more informed. So we were supportive of the first multi-unit development moratorium."
According to Solomon, Keep Auburn Lovely advocates for smart development, which means remodeling and restoring older buildings, maintaining Auburn's aesthetic and keeping it a welcoming place for everyone, not just students.
"You can remodel and upgrade without tearing down and rebuilding," said Ray Huff, owner of Auburn Realty and member of Keep Auburn Lovely.
Solomon said they are not against development, but want to make sure Auburn maintains its small, charming feel.
Huff said the area the group is mostly concerned about is between Thach and Glenn avenues and Wright and Gay streets.
"Those are the main areas that seem, for lack of a better word, under attack," Huff said.
However, Linda Dean, Auburn resident and Keep Auburn Lovely member, said the zone they are worried about could extend to Ross Street, to encompass the 160 Ross complex.
Huff said the people developing large complexes are typically not local groups.
"It's not any local people doing these actions," Huff said. "There are a few local people tied to them, but they're all super large developers from all over the country coming in."
Solomon said more development along the Downtown West area, from Wright Street to Donahue Drive would be good because it is close to campus. She said the group does not want a University-only feel downtown.
"We need to be really careful with our downtown because that is our tourist attraction," Solomon said.
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