By: Diane Arias/Staff Writer
To help meet the need for on-campus housing, the University has made plans to accommodate the demand by constructing Parkview, a new housing complex consisting of two phases.
Currently, there are just under 3,000 students who live on Modesto Maidique and Biscayne Bay Campus combined, according to James Wassenaar, executive director of Student Affairs Operations and Auxiliary Services. Among the students living on-campus, 10 percent of full-time students are occupying the housing units located on both campuses.
The on-campus housing capacity is 3,000 students.
With a wait-list of 500 students, the fall 2011 semester has resulted in the University being unable to house all students who desire on-campus housing; residence halls were filled to capacity, leaving the 500 wait-listed students without a place to stay.
”Phase I will be built on top of the existing parking lot of Panther Hall, straddling the road and moving the road slightly. Phase II will be built on Lot 6, between the Performing Arts Center and the football stadium,” said Wassenaar.
According to Wassenaar, Parkview will not affect the preserve. The two companies, HADP Architects and HKS, will stay outside of the preserve and they are working to make sure there is no negative impact on the preserve.
Parkview will be built according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver standard.
LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system that provides third-party verification; LEED verifies that a building is constructed using green strategies. LEED’s aim is to have less impact on the environment on many levels, such as energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction and improved indoor environmental quality.
“The University is interested in sustainable housing and in providing a high quality living experience,” said Wassenaar.
The two companies were chosen by a committee of University officials. According to Wassenaar, the committee conducted a selection process that consisted of 17-20 applicants.
HADP, the principal company, will partner with another subordinate firm, HKS; the two companies are collaborating on the Parkview project.
HADP has been designing student housing for the University since 1995.
“The company has a large national presence,” said Wassenaar to Student Media.
According to Wassenaar, the companies will receive $1.5 million for the Parkview project. The funds for Parkview are formula-based; the state of Florida is prescribed for services depending on the square-foot and type of building. Florida State Vision of Bond and Finance is issuing tax exempt bonds for the University; the University is selling bonds.
Phase I will house 620 students and Phase II will house 600 to 1,000 students.
The projected completion date for Phase I is June 2013. Occupancy will begin during the fall term in August 2013. Phase II’s completion date is projected to be by the fall term of 2015, but there are considerations being made on moving the completion date up.
“The University is invested in housing because it is a component for academic support as well as higher graduation retention rates,” said Wassenaar.
“The University recruits broadly; on-campus housing allows students to attend [the University] and the on-campus experience is important for students to have a more comprehensive education experience. Housing is important to the University as a whole; it creates a more diverse, complete university experience.”
Between fall 2011 and June 2013, the University plans to assist students without on-campus housing with the services provided by the University’s Office of Orientation and Commuter Student Services. CSS, located in the Graham Center, helps students find off-campus housing – enabling the University to grow beyond capacity.
“On-campus housing gets the students more involved in a school they want to be in rather than a school where they get in and get out,” said Oliver Diaz-Neda, senior desk assistant of Panther Hall and office assistant of the Office of Residential Life.“I think the University turns down the most applicants in the state.”
Student attitudes toward housing and a new building are positive but one suggested the University needs to add more infrastructure if a new building is on its way.
“I think that anything that benefits the students is great to hear about,” said Katie Villalobos, a senior and English major.
“If they are going to build more housing, they are going to need more parking. That’s all I really have to say,” said Nicole Janiszewski, accounting major and freshman. “I don’t really have any complaints. I like living here; I can sleep in between classes.”
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