Editors note: Reporters are welcome to attend the meetings. University representatives will present an overview of the project and answer questions.
The University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder will hold public meetings on the Williams Village student housing expansion project for neighborhood residents May 30 and 31.
A meeting for the Frasier Meadows neighborhood will be held on May 30, followed by a meeting on May 31 for Park East residents and commercial businesses. Both meetings will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the main dining hall at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 3700 Baseline Road.
According to Derrick Watson, project coordinator for the department of Housing, the purpose of the meetings is to provide residents with an overview of the project, including the development schedule and preliminary design concepts. The meetings also provide opportunities for university officials to learn how to best inform neighbors about the project as it develops.
The ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Commission on Higher Education approved ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥'s master plan in March. In its approval, the Commission recommended that the university remove a 500-bed cap on the first phase of expansion at Williams Village and allow the development of up to 1,900 beds on an expedited timeline because of the city of Boulder's housing crunch. The ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Board of Regents approved the Williams Village program plan later that month.
Goals for the project include increasing the supply of affordable on-campus housing for students and lessening the impact of student rentals on Boulder neighborhoods. A minimum of 400 units will be available for occupancy in fall 2003, followed by additional units in fall 2004, with a maximum build-out of 1,900 units by fall 2008.
Williams Village was a land donation to the university in the early 1960s. The 64-acre site has two high-rise residence hall complexes, a multi-purpose facility, two soccer fields, four tennis courts and other recreational facilities. The site currently houses approximately 1,500 students and has three surface parking lots with 984 spaces for student parking.