Groundbreaking planned for latest housing expansion
An architect’s rendering shows an aerial view of The Village at Alpine Valley.
The campus community is invited to attend groundbreaking ceremonies for a $74.5 million, 515-bed expansion to campus housing at 11 a.m. April 25.
About 20 university and student leaders and general contractor representatives are expected to dig a few inches into former parking lot 9 and officially begin a two-year project to build the Village at Alpine Valley housing complex on the west side of campus. CU Regent Kyle Hybl and Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak will lead the shovel brigade. Susan Szpyrka, vice chancellor, Administration and Finance, will serve as the event emcee.
Refreshments will be served in the lobby of Antero House and there will be a souvenir giveaway for those who attend. Reservations should be sent to Iryse Naro, executive assistant, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, inaro@uccs.edu by April 23.
The project calls for construction of more than 200,000 square feet of additional housing with space for 515 students. The new housing will be a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom suite-style student housing and will be located in what is currently Parking Lot 9 near the Alpine Village student apartments.
The new housing village will focus on the First Year Experience and will include a large multipurpose classroom, as well as four small classrooms and a dining hall. As has been the recent campus practice, the building will be constructed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold standard.
Plans call for the construction to occur in two phases. The first phase, scheduled to open in Aug. 2015, will include space for 292 students, a new dining hall and additional academic programming areas. A second phase, scheduled to open in Aug. 2016, will include space for 223 more students to live.
When complete, UCCS will have space for 1,640 students to live on campus.
In fall 2013, UCCS opened Copper and Eldora Houses, adding space for 192 students. The expansion of student housing was identified as a priority in the 2012-2010 UCCS Strategic Plan.
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