Miles SmithAlabama State University is in the design phase of a new student housing project with an estimated total cost of between $65 million to $70 million, a spokesperson for the university says.
The board’s action took place following a presentation of architectural renderings detailing the scope of the project.
Construction bids will likely go out in late November, the spokesperson told Government Market News, adding that ground would be broken in January 2025.
One building will include approximately 288 beds on a lot located on Forest Avenue, and the other will be a 264-bed development on South University Drive.
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The South University Drive site will include the demolition of the Cynthia Alexander Apartments, and the Forest Avenue site will feature a student activity center with a café.
Donald Dotson, who serves as Alabama State University’s vice president of Facilities Management and Operations, says both complexes will be built simultaneously so that they are constructed and ready for occupancy as quickly as possible.
“There’s really been no new construction here on this campus since 2011, so it’s well overdue, and it’s generating a lot of excitement,” Dotson says. “About 75% to 80% of our student population are on-campus residents, and so it stands by reason that we can increase growth by increasing housing opportunities.”
Completion of the new student housing is anticipated in 2026.
2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
