Eastgate Apartments to close at the end of summer
New graduate residence at Site 4 will have rates 59% higher
Ben Kettle–The Tech
Eastgate Apartments will close at the end of August. MIT will open a new graduate residence at Site 4 in Kendall Square.
According to an MIT Housing & Residential Services FAQ, the monthly rent at the new dormitory will be $2,274 for an efficiency, $2,662 for a 1-bedroom, and $3,410 for a 2-bedroom apartment. These rates represent a 59% increase compared to current Eastgate housing rates.
David Friedrich, senior associate dean for housing and residential services, wrote in an email to The Tech that “Eastgate is closing because, as part of MIT’s comprehensive capital planning project, it was determined that it had reached the end of its useful life.”
Eastgate and Westgate are currently the only dormitories for graduate students with families.
Following the Feb. 5 announcement about the new rates for the Graduate Tower at Site 4, several Eastgate residents voiced their concerns about the affordability of the new dorm.
Sheets with the question “What do you think about Site 4 rent?” were posted in Eastgate elevators. Residents wrote messages like “Outrageous. Completely unacceptable,” “Are you kidding students?”, and “I’m losing faith that MIT actually cares about anything.”
MIT initially offered a 15% discount for the first year for Eastgate residents moving to Site 4. In response to feedback received at an information session Feb. 7, the discount will be extended to students “as long as they remain a regular MIT graduate student and reside in Site 4.”
Additionally, the Eastgate Resident Transition Subsidy was announced to mitigate concerns regarding the affordability of Site 4 for current Eastgate residents.
The subsidy will be evaluated by staff at Students Financial Services on an individual basis. It will consider financial circumstances such as stipend levels and assets, spouses’ employment, number of dependents, and healthcare costs.
Friedrich and Vice President and Dean for Student Life Suzy Nelson wrote in an email to Eastgate residents that they recognized that “some students may have initially selected Eastgate as a living community due to the published rates for housing.” They wrote that although Site 4 rates are “not affordable for all members of the current Eastgate community,” they “reflect the new building’s condition and location” and are below market prices.