December 1, 2003

Residents moving into Hagar Court Condominiums

Neighborhood to be a mix of faculty and staff homeowners

By Louise Donahue

Hagar Court Condominiums, UCSC’s newest on-campus housing for sale, are expected to have nearly equal numbers of faculty and staff residents. The condominiums represent the first large inventory of housing for sale since the campus altered its housing policy.

New homeowner Free Moini, above, takes a look around from his patio. Below, Jennifer Zukovsky, who is married to UCSC computer engineer Roberto Manduchi, pauses a minute in her new kitchen. Photos: Louise Donahue

The first homeowners were handed their keys on November 21, and two others have moved in since, in what is expected to be a steady process through December.

Hagar Court Condominiums are being converted from apartments in two phases. Twenty-two units are opening during the first phase, with 28 more expected to be ready in late December or early January.

“I’m glad it’s finally over, and I can move in,” said Free Moini, the first staff member to take possession. Moini, a principal budget analyst for Planning and Budget, moved into one of the one-story units. He had been renting near downtown and is a first-time home buyer. “It’s like a little secluded community,” he said of his new neighborhood. “You don’t even know you’re on campus.”

The first faculty couple, Jennifer Zukovsky and Roberto Manduchi, an assistant professor of computer engineering, also picked up their keys on November 21. “I was thrilled to be with the college community,” said Zukovsky, a floral designer. “It’s a beautiful site. Everyone was very helpful.”

Zukovsky and Manduchi are also first-time home buyers.

Steve Houser, Faculty and Staff Housing manager, said it appears that 25 faculty members and 25 others—staff members and academics who are not in the Academic Senate—will be living in Hagar Court when sales of all the Hagar units are finalized.

While in theory both faculty and staff were eligible to buy or rent on campus in the past, Academic Senate faculty had top priority.

Limited supply and high faculty demand meant that few employees other than Senate faculty had the opportunity to purchase housing. Under the new Housing Access Policy, a fixed allocation of available rental and for-sale units is to be distributed under this formula: Academic Senate faculty, 80 percent; staff, 15 percent; and non-Academic Senate academics, 5 percent.

Houser said the conversion of the condominiums from apartments included major interior and exterior changes. Inside, the kitchens feature new maple cabinetry and new tile countertops, new windows have been installed, and new flooring and carpet has been installed throughout. All appliances except refrigerators, which homeowners provide, are new. Outside, roofs have been replaced, landscaping has been redone, and new picket fences are being built for the backyard areas.

“Generally speaking, people seem pleased with the choices,” Houser said, noting that lighter paint, carpeting, and tile have been used to brighten and modernize the look of the condos.

It has been a long process since staff members and non-Senate academics submitted their names to be drawn in UCSC’s first housing lottery July 15. The housing office drew 100 staff members’ names that day, and later decided to expand the waiting list, drawing the rest of the applicants’ names when demand for the two-bedroom Hagar Court Condominiums was not as strong as anticipated.

Many applicants were unprepared to purchase immediately, were not interested in purchasing price-restricted units on campus, or interested only in purchasing units with three bedrooms or more, Houser said. He said he recently offered a staffer who was number 147 on the list (out of 203) a chance to buy a condo.

Looking around Hagar Court Condominiums as carpentry and landscaping work continued nearby, Houser pronounced himself satisfied with the process. “It’s nice to actually see results after all this work. I think this has been a great accomplishment for the campus.”

Earlier stories on UCSC housing include:

• Campus holds first housing lottery

• Final housing forum coming up

Return to Front Page