Tradition at the University of Rhode Island is for upperclassmen to move off campus after their sophomore year, not only for the joy of living in nearby coastal areas but because the school lacks housing to keep them on campus.
The university aims to change that tradition with a $68-million project under way to build apartments and suites for juniors and seniors. It is the first undergraduate housing to be built at URI since 1970, and part of a $120-million overhaul of living facilities that includes constructing a state-of-the-art dining hall, upgrading seven residence halls and adding 1,500 parking spaces.
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“These new residence halls and dining hall will be a great source of pride for the university,” said Lester K. Yensan, URI’s director of housing and student life, who noted that the combined project is the largest in the school’s history.
The design and layout of three new residential buildings, which will be built behind Heathman and Browning halls, came after the university researched what it would take to bring junior and senior students back to campus.
“The intent was to look at what juniors and seniors would expect from their living space off campus, which is a house situation or an apartment situation, and bring that to campus,” Yensan said.
Two apartment buildings will consist of about 450 beds, and each apartment will have five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. The third building will contain some 350 bedrooms, 10 of which in each suite. Suites will include common living spaces and bathrooms but no kitchens.
All the new units will have cable, wireless and land-based Internet connections, telephone hookups and air conditioning – all of which students have come to expect from their living quarters, Yensan noted.
“I think URI is doing what a lot of others are doing, which is going to the single bedrooms and suites,” said Rick Bouchard, an architect with S/L/A/M Collaborative, the Glastonbury, Conn., firm that designed the new buildings.
Bettering accommodations at URI won’t stop with the residential buildings, as the new dining hall boasts comforts and conveniences unparalleled at the university. The $22-million building, which will replace Roger Williams and Hope dining halls, will house expanded services and seat 718 people.
On the first floor of the two-story structure will be a convenience store, delivery operations and storage spaces. A dining area and separate café (open until 2 a.m.) are planned for the second floor. In the café, students can enjoy a Starbucks coffee by a fireplace while they watch plasma TV screens or utilize the wireless Internet service. Also on the second floor will be a 50-seat dining room and a patio with connections for gas grills, according to URI.
The dining hall will be built over the footprint of the soon-to-be-demolished Hope dining hall, which is located between Lower College Road and the university library. Providence’s Vision 3 Architects Inc. designed the building, and Gilbane Building Co. is the project contractor. The dining hall and residential projects started in May and are slated for completion by fall of 2006.
Though URI hasn’t finalized what the housing costs would be for the new units, Yensan said they would be in line with living costs off campus.
The university is already dealing with a housing shortage. Last academic year there were about 300 cases in which students had to triple up in traditionally two-person dormitory rooms, Yensan said. He added that the new housing units would be available during the summer, when students struggle to find affordable housing.
URI also plans to spend $27 million to renovate seven existing residence halls during the 2007-08 academic year. The university will use the same contractor and architect that are working on the dining hall, and Dubois Associates Architects will consult with Vision 3.
The $3-million parking project will more than double the capacity of an 800-space lot off Plains Road, across the street from the Ryan Center. And 650 student parking spaces will be built off Flagg Road, the university said.
“That project is well under way, and we plan to have those parking lots available for fall of 2005,” Yensan said.
Financing for the $120-million project is coming from several sources, according to URI. The $68-million residence halls are exclusively funded through revenue bonds. The $22 million for the dining hall comes from about $14 million in revenue bonds and $8 million from the dining services budget. Voters approved $24 million in general obligation bonds for the $27 million of renovations to existing residence halls.
