Elon students have infringed upon her space for years. She has found a sorority-branded flip-flop in her yard and a pair of Victoria’s Secret underwear in her tree. But only when the university itself crept into her backyard did Jo Grimley get truly upset.

“My husband and I are going to try living here for one year after (The Station at Mill Point) opens, but we’re already making plans to move,” said Grimley, a former Alderwoman who lives on South Williamson Avenue. “We love this house. My granddad built it himself in 1904. Our children want us to keep it, but we’re not sure if we can do that.”

The Station at Mill Point, Elon University’s new residential neighborhood that will house 324 junior and senior students, is being developed on what was once Firehouse Field, located across from the Town of Elon Fire Department between South Williamson Avenue and Johnson Street. The 14 apartment-style complexes that have been under construction since last summer are scheduled to open August 2012, and an additional 10 complexes will be added by August 2013.

“I’m for (the development) because the university needs it, and I support the notion of contiguity (in a student environment),” said Jo’s husband Gene Grimley, a chemistry professor at Elon. “But if there was the opportunity to keep it green, they should have done that.”

Although Firehouse Field is Elon University property, it wasn’t always reserved for university use. In 2008, the university offered the land to the Town of Elon as a site for a public library, free of cost. The Town of Elon Board of Aldermen considered the offer, but ultimately chose to build the library at Beth Schmidt Park on Cook Road.

“There were a lot of people in town that wanted to build the library at the park,” said Mayor Jerry Tolley. “There’s a denser population over there in that part of town, and when you build it over there, a lot of people in Guilford County can use it. Libraries like to serve as many people as they can.”

[quote]I’ve had no issues with students’ conduct in the past, but I have real concerns about The Station being built. I know they’re going to have a pool, which is probably going to draw big crowds. I don’t know what to expect, but I might move out if it’s really loud. -Ross Ann McLellend, Elon resident[/quote]

A 3-2 vote by the Board of Aldermen left Firehouse Field vacant, and the university capitalized on an opportunity to build new student housing. The Board of Aldermen approved the construction of The Station in March 2011, after which a public hearing was held to discuss traffic and parking concerns surrounding the development.

As requested during the hearing, parking at The Station will be located to the far west of the complexes near Johnson Street, and a turn lane will be added at the intersection of South Williamson Avenue and Ball Park Road. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is considering the addition of a traffic light as well.

But residents located just outside The Station’s perimeter still harbor reservations about the development across the street. Rose Ann McLellend, who has lived on Ball Park Road since 1980, said she fears the constant clanking of construction work will only be replaced by a cacophony of student activity.

“I’ve had no issues with students’ conduct in the past, but I have real concerns about The Station being built,” she said. “I know they’re going to have a pool, which is probably going to draw big crowds. I don’t know what to expect, but I might move out if it’s really loud.”

Mary Marshall, another resident of Ball Park Road, also said she anticipates an increase in noise, as well as traffic.

“Ideally, we would have liked the field to be left green,” she said. “People thought it was a nice atmosphere, but now it’s a huge problem. We would have preferred them to make it a library, if anything.”

The decision to build The Station on a field once used by students and town residents alike grew from a desire to bring more upperclassmen closer to campus, according to Smith Jackson, vice president and dean of student life. Its proximity to the three-story Elon Town Center encourages students to frequent the downtown shops and restaurants, he said.

“We believe that the addition of (The Station) will be very positive for the town’s economy,” said Jackson, who said he has not received or heard any complaints from residents about the new development.

Rather than contacting the university, though, some residents have voiced their opinion to the Board of Aldermen. Tolley said several residents have expressed surprise at both the expanse of the development and its proximity to the road.

“A lot of people see The Station at Mill Point and say, ‘Wow, that’s a little more than I thought it was going to be,’” he said. “I talked to a guy the other day who told me he didn’t think it made the best use of the property.”

Jackson said he intends to provide students with information to prevent problems from arising between the students and local residents.

“We are certainly sensitive to the town’s opinion. We’ve been aware that anytime you (convert) a green space, people are going to be concerned,” Jackson said.

Steps are being taken to increase student awareness of expected codes of conduct, he said. A committee is being established to examine the relationship between campus life and town life, and an information session on town ordinances will be held for students living at The Station.

“We don’t want the community to feel that we’re not a part of it,” Jackson said. “We realize that students have different lifestyles (than town residents). They tend to stay up later. They tend to be gregarious at this stage of life. But we want our students to be good neighbors.”

Although efforts to establish lines of communication between town residents and the university are currently underway, the university took no preemptive measures to gather local residents’ opinions of The Station, Jackson said.

But the residents of the town have shared their thoughts freely. Some of the most candid comments circulate outside the realm of the university and Board of Aldermen. During a recent trip to the post office, one of Jo Grimley’s neighbors approached her and confided that the new development was “one of the ugliest she’d seen.”

“And I had to agree with (my neighbor),” Grimley said. “The buildings are so big and so close together. It’s so ‘un-Elon.’ Traditionally, everything has been built out of brick.”

Aesthetics aside, Marshall said she fears the presence of The Station has devalued her home and those around it. She and her husband have thought seriously about relocating, she said.

“I’ve lived here for 28 years,” she said. “But I cleaned out my attic this weekend, just in case we decide it’s time to go.”