MISSION HILL RESIDENTS GRAPPLE WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS MOVING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD

In recent years, more and more Northeastern students have flocked to Mission Hill for off-campus housing. As appealing as the idea of affordable rent and a more spacious living style is for college students in Boston, surrounding Mission Hill neighbors have had to bear the brunt of this transformation.

The influx of students has paved the way for an outburst of rowdy parties and unruly late-night noise

Juliette Piovoso | News Staff

complaints that are hard to ignore for many long-time Mission Hill residents.

“It’s more of an annoyance than anything. I have a fence around my yard that has wooden pickets, and, without fail, every weekend, there’s a broken picket. There are always red solo cups littered in my yard, too,” said Candance Belanoff, who has lived in the neighborhood for 19 years.

In a community that has consistently been known to appeal to those seeking transient or temporary housing, Belanoff feels as if their impermanence in the area contributes to the chaos they bring.

“There is no sense of belonging or feeling like the community is theirs,” she said. “People feel they can come into our community and party as hard as they want to without affecting anyone else. If you knew it was your mom’s yard, you probably wouldn’t mess with their property like that. But if it’s anonymous, it doesn’t matter because these students are only here for nine months.”

As of this year, more than 3,700 out of Mission Hill’s population of 15,600 are off-campus college students — more than 11% of Boston’s off-campus students in a neighborhood representing 3% of the city’s population, WBUR reported.

As Mission Hill’s popularity amongst college students rises, Cindy Walling, a resident of 14 years, acknowledges that many Mission Hill neighbors, including herself, don’t mind the flurries of college kids moving to the area.

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