New, renovated housing to open this fall

Some students living on campus next year will enjoy newly renovated digs; others will be pioneers of the largest development in the nation designed to put back into the electrical grid as much energy as it consumes.

And while renovated and new housing is big this fall, other major facilities for student use include a new services center coming online for the Segundo residential area this fall and a new home for student life programs expected to open in 2012.

UC Davis West Village

UC Davis West Village, combining advanced energy-efficient design features with a high-efficiency solar power system, will debut this fall with apartments offering about 850 bedrooms, recreation and study facilities, and university offices and retail shops around a village square. A community college center, also part of the first phase of the development, is slated to open in January.

Located on campus land west of Highway 113, the private development by West Village Community Partnership integrates sustainable design to enable those living in the community to reduce their reliance on automobiles, limit energy consumption and leverage the local climate, especially the cooling Delta breeze.

The Ramble will offer about 654 bedrooms in two-, three-and four-bedroom units, and is nearly 90 percent pre-leased. The Viridian will offer 192 bedrooms in one- and two-bedroom units for faculty, staff and students, and is about 45 percent pre-leased.

A temporary leasing office at 409 Third Street in downtown Davis is showing off floor plans and interior amenities to prospective residents.

Nearly 350 single-family homes, available for purchase in 2012, will help the university recruit and retain top faculty and staff; ownership is intended for full-time employees of the university.

When complete, the 200-acre project is expected to house about 4,500 people, including students, staff and faculty.

Segundo renovations

With the re-opening this fall of four high-rise residence halls at Segundo, UC Davis continues to offer housing to all incoming freshman and transfer students.

"Our goal is to continue guaranteed housing for all incoming first-year and transfer students," says Michael Sheehan, associate director for Student Housing at UC Davis. "Student Housing provides significant programmatic and academic support for residents."

Maintaining guaranteed housing is critical to support the mission of UC Davis, Sheehan says. "As the campus grows, residential options and availability also need to grow and stay competitive."

All told, UC Davis housed 4,584 students in campus-run residence halls during the 2010-11 academic year and plans to offer 4,646 beds in residence halls next fall, according to Ramona Hernandez, associate director of business services.

The Segundo area high-rises have undergone seismic and fire safety upgrades as well as amenity improvements. The $10 million project for Malcolm, Ryerson, Bixby and Gilmore residence halls — which house 800 students — includes newly carpeted rooms, new closets, wireless connectivity and other upgrades, in addition to the safety and other renovations designed to make the buildings more energy-efficient. The project is funded by Student Housing reserves.

Segundo Services Center

Students in the Segundo area will also enjoy the new $20 million Segundo Services Center. The center will provide area residents with an academic advising center, computer center, recreation room, service desk, mail service center and convenience store, similar to what is available to students in other residential complexes

Tercero Phase 3

The Tercero residence area is also undergoing changes. Sometime this fall, demolition of the old Thille and Pierce residence halls, which have housed a total of 800 students, will take place. That will set the stage for the building of Tercero Phase 3 for 1,200 students.

This $80 million project, funded from Student Housing reserves, is scheduled to begin in fall 2012 and open in fall 2014. The new dorms, which will offer single, double and triple rooms, are being designed to meet national green energy standards and achieve LEED Gold certification for new construction under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Student Community Center

Under construction at the corner of Hutchison Drive and California Avenue is the Student Community Center. Scheduled to open in spring 2012, the center will bring together a variety of student life programs including the Cross Cultural Center; Student Recruitment and Retention Center; the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center; study lounges; and undergraduate research support. It is being built with money raised by a fee initiative approved by students in 2002 and is expected to cost approximately $30 million.