Site preparation for two new residence halls at the corner of Bellaire Drive North and Stadium Drive is nearing completion, and construction in earnest will begin in April or May, said Craig Allen, director of residential services.
The halls, which will eventually accommodate 400 sophomores or upperclassmen in mostly suite-style units, are expected to open in August 2013 and represent the first of a multi-phase plan to create a new Worth Hills Village.
“I suspect over the summer, the building will start to emerge from the construction zone and by fall, we’ll have some semblance of a structure,” Allen said.
The halls will be patterned after the residence halls in the Campus Commons but will feature slightly different floor plans.
Long-time home to freshmen women, the 350-bed Colby Hall will close after the Spring 2013 semester and undergo renovation. It should reopen in August 2014.
“It is likely to remain an all-female residence,” Allen said, “but depending on the male-female balance of the whole university, that could change. We’ll make a determination when we are closer to opening.”
Future phases call for the construction of new housing for fraternity and sororities, plus additional housing for non-Greek students. Plans also call for a parking garage and dining facility.