Housing master plan in the works
Carrie Wells
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: News
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With seniors banned from on-campus housing this year and many juniors being kicked out next year, both the university and private developers have scrambled to put up as many new housing units as possible.
This year alone, the university spent innumerable man-hours outlining its long-term goals, including an update to the Facilities Master Plan that was released in January and a revised Strategic Plan said to be unveiled in the next couple of weeks. However, this is the first time administrators have included ideas for both on-campus and off-campus housing into a single document.
"The housing has gotten tighter and tighter and tighter," said Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Pat Mielke, the main creator of the plan. "It was an obvious next step."
But while the project should make proposed housing information more accessible, it might not bring about an end to the housing crunch. A noticeable trend in the housing proposals is that few contain concrete plans.
For example, a copy of the plan provided to The Diamondback lists two buildings to be constructed in lots U4 and U5 on South Campus. So far, it has only been approved by a Facilities Management committee; it has yet to be voted on by the full facilities council.
University administrators also want to increase the number of beds in Carroll, Caroline and Wicomico halls when the buildings undergo a long-needed renovation in fall 2013, but officials are still not sure of where the extra bedrooms would go.
Also included in the plans are StarView Plaza, which has been in the works for the past six years and still is far from being built, and a plan to tear down the Knox Boxes and construct two800-bed housing units even though the apartments are owned by many different landlords who have not yet given their consent. Janet Firth, who owns a majority of the buildings, has not come to the university with any proposals yet to tear down her apartments and build new housing.
Resident Life Director Deb Grandner explained that the plan isn't more concrete because, as is the case with the university's other long-term plans, it is "really a guide."
The document is broken into two sections, one for university-affiliated housing and the other for private off-campus housing. The on-campus section includes:
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