Tenants of a residential building in Stamford formed a union in late August to protect themselves from displacement due to expanded student housing at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus, according to an article in the Stamford Advocate. Tenants have been given until April 2026 to move out.
Tenants of the building, located at 1201 Washington Blvd. and often referred to as the BLVD, formed a union to “negotiate the terms of their displacement” with joint owners of the building, RMS Properties, owned by developer Randy Salvatore and The Wolff Companies, according to the Advocate.
The union wants to freeze below-market-rate eligibility as of Feb. 12, which they say will protect tenants from disqualification due to changes in income, housing and city policies because of their forceful displacement, according to the Advocate.
Gormandee Maximin, a resident of the BLVD, said in a phone interview with the Advocate that both UConn and the owners of the building made their decisions with little concern for the impact it would have on current residents.
“They did what they did and now we have to deal with the consequences of it,” she said to the Advocate.
UConn has faced challenges relating to housing capacity on its campuses across the state, as the university continues to increase the size of incoming classes year after year. UConn accepted a record-breaking figure of around 7,500 new students in the 2025-2026 academic year.
In an email to the Daily Campus, University Spokesperson Stephanie Rietz said that UConn was housing a record number of students at its Storrs campus this semester and had converted some lounge areas into living spaces to accommodate students.
“UConn is housing a record number of almost 13,400 students at Storrs, including in units leased this year at The Oaks,” Reitz said. “The housing, which is at full capacity, includes some areas where lounges were converted into living spaces to help meet demand. The opening of The Standard at Four Corners also helped ease demand as some students chose to rent there for the new academic year.”
In an email to the Daily Campus, Jennifer Orlikoff, dean and chief administrative officer at UConn’s Stamford campus, said that UConn was cooperating with the property management companies at the BLVD for tenants’ benefit.
“UConn is working closely with the property management companies to ensure that the transitions for the tenants are as smooth as possible,” she said in her email.
The property management companies have offered aid to displaced tenants as well, according to Orlikoff.
“The property management companies have been doing an exceptional job in providing support for the tenants, including, in some cases, covering costs for the move and guaranteeing housing in one of their brand-new luxury buildings that is under construction now,” she said.
The BLVD currently has 40 units available to students, all of which are occupied for a total of 100 student residents, according to the Advocate. Roughly 150 more beds are expected to be available for the 2026 fall semester, when the building will be fully converted to student dorms, according to the Advocate.