Architects in charge of the renovations discussed potential new layouts and configurations in Spartan Village during a meeting Tuesday night.
The renovations, which are yet to have a starting date, will be a process will take an estimated 10 years to complete. The plans are not yet finalized.
“We’re not to that point yet, we’re right now just evaluating the different available sites to see what will fit on the different sites and what fits the institutional needs for the project,” said Kat Cooper, Residential and Hospitality Services communications manager.
The current structures, which were built in the late 1950s, are out-of-date and are becoming costly for the university to maintain.
“This is an aging facility, it’s an out-of-date facility,” said Andy Hoyer, principal architect at Encore Architects, one of the companies in charge of construction. “It’s expensive to maintain and in some cases hazardous, and it’s not in the university’s best interest to keep putting money into fixing it.”
The main focus of the renovations is to create a new, resident-friendly atmosphere for the people who are living in the complexes.
“One of the goals for the housing is to have it be the type of housing that doesn’t exist anywhere else on campus,” said Chris Mackey, partner and architect at the SHW Group. “We’re trying to create an environment that is unique to Spartan Village.”
Some of the main upgrades that were requested by the community were a better connection to campus, outdoor amenities and indoor amenities and facilities, such as fitness, academic support, laundry and bus services among many others.
Many of the existing buildings and apartments will be demolished to create room for new developments, which will be focused primarily on family housing and single-student housing.
The current plan is not to expand the area of Spartan Village, just to replace what is currently there, Cooper said.
“It’s not specifically about expanding, the plan is more about replacement,” Cooper said. “I don’t know if we’re going to replace that exact number (of apartments), but the plan is not expansion.”
Another potential development discussed at the meeting was the construction of housing in the Cherry Lane and Faculty Bricks Apartments site, which is the piece of land adjacent to the South Neighborhood residence halls.
The area would consist of housing as well as parking areas, but wouldn’t eliminate large portions of the trees. The renovations would only take up 30 percent of the current green space in the area.
