President David B. Burks announced in chapel, Sept. 20, that Harding will begin a $12 million student housing project immediately to accomodate the increasing number of students enrolling at the university.
According to Burks, the plan will allow for the construction of 84 new apartments on Harding’s campus. Sixty-four of the apartments will be on the west side of campus and house women and married students. Another 20 apartments will be constructed on the east side of campus at the Village Apartments to house male students.
Burks said the reason for the new apartments is simple: There is a shortage of housing for students.
The apartments will be built in the area off of Dr. Jimmy Carr Drive and East Park Avenue. Although the West Apartments occupy some of this area, they will eventually be torn down to make room for the new apartments. According to Burks, the new apartment buildings will have up to six and as few as two apartments. Each apartment will be either a one-, two- or three-bedroom unit.
The six-apartment building, referred to as “the mansion,” will feature commercial space on the first floor. According to Burks, the businesses that will occupy the commercial space are still unknown, but he said it will most likely be a coffee or pizza shop. Burks said the purpose of “the mansion” is to make a another place where students can congregate easily.
Each building will have a different look, along with a different color scheme. Out of the 15 buildings, no two will look the same, Burks said.
Because of the differentiating color scheme and modern look, Burks refers to the apartment buildings as the “new urban style of architecture.”
“I think it is going to be a really neat addition to the west side of campus,” Burks said.
Inspired by other universities and their implementation of these buildings, Burks said he, along with the board members, is excited to bring a different feel to campus.
“We think it will create a walking neighborhood that students will really enjoy being a part of,” Burks said.
The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase, the construction of 84 apartments, will be completed by August 2012. This phase will house about 200 students, according to a Harding press release.
The second phase, which will include the destruction of the West Apartments and the construction of 50 to 60 more apartments, will be completed by August 2013, according to Burks.
