dont forget, pat is wise and all-knowing so he must be right. You are right though... Quaker is pretty quiet. Mostly due in part to the units being in these massive concrete silos with 12" concrete floors. That in and of itself make the rooms mostly sound-proof to adjacent units. Thats not to say you cant make noise because you really can... but your comparison to Honors is fairly accurate.
Seriously though, pat... "fire trap"... REALLY? You do realize there are these things called building and fire codes which builders have to adhere to with new construction, right? Generally unlikely for a new building to be a "fire trap", save only for a catastrophic event beyond the scope of anyone's predictions (which itself is not covered by the codes)
Having friends who either live in or work for 22 exchange (and thus 401 lofts, etc), I can tell you theyre a little more strict than you give them credit. Its definitely not dorm-like with RAs on duty and on every floor, but its not like a normal apartment complex either. They run those units quite like a tight ship, to be honest.
Being next to the tracks really isnt a big deal either. I lived in the exchange st dorms which was only 2 blocks from there, and worked in the CBA Labs which is next to the tracks... Its only loud if you have your windows open. Even then you get used to the noise and it becomes "white noise".
Food for thought.
In other news, theyre speeding along with the new apartment/retail complex next to the McD's on exchange. Ive also been hearing that the University has slowly been buying up properties south of campus... though thats to be expected with their "grand plan" to completely renovate that area.