By Jon Gambrell
Enquirer contributor

Residents dismayed by a notice from management gather in Bea Pyle's apartment: Seated, from left: Ms. Pyle, Mabel Martin, Sybil DiPaolo. Standing: Jane Gaitskill, Harry Brooks and Peg Jones. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

OXFORD - The letter changed everything for the residents of Rachel Apartments.

Waiting for them outside their doors Nov. 19, it said their rent was rising 50 percent, and the apartment building, once restricted to those 55 and over, was being opened up to Miami University students.

Faced with the higher rents, and prospects of a noisier, busier complex, some of the residents are angry and thinking about moving.

For Beatrice Pyle, 80, a former Miami professor, it was the second time that the student demand for housing had forced her to move.

"I moved to Oxford in 1957 and got an apartment," she said. "I stayed until 2001, until it was turned over to students. I guess this will be a second trip for me."

Jane Gaitskill, 59, who had just moved into the complex Nov. 4 to be closer to her job at the university, said she hadn't finished unpacking.

"I was told there was a chance that as leases expire, the complex would be open, possibly to family, possibly to students," she said. "I am just appalled after moving in three weeks ago, the rent (is) raised."

The eight-unit complex is owned by JRJ Co., which is run by several members of the Wespiser family of Oxford. They could not be reached for comment.

Jeff Schrader, the broker for Oxford Real Estate, which manages the apartment complex for JRJ, signed the letter.

Residents pay about $600 per month, and the increase has infuriated some.

"I've lived here 20 years and over that time, my rent rose 50 percent," said Harry Brooks, 80, a former MU business professor. "Now, it is rising that much in a year."

Rachel Apartments were built in 1977, tailored for seniors. The building has garages for each apartment, an elevator, grab bars for the showers and other amenities to aid its residents.

However, it is not zoned primarily for senior use, said Oxford Planning Director Bernadette Unger.

Sybil DiPaolo, 76, had planned on staying at Rachel Apartments for the rest of her life.

"You had to put your name on a list to get in here," she said. "It had never occurred to me that I might have to move. Now, I sit down and cry. I'm just overwhelmed."