Correction added.
The construction of new residence and dining halls at the Polytechnic campus will tentatively start late spring with a possible opening some time in 2012 or 2013.
The residence hall will serve as additional housing to the former Williams Air Force Base buildings where students currently live, said Christine Lambrakis, a spokeswoman for ASU's Polytechnic campus.
The new residence and dining halls will be built in the open spaces north and east of the Student Union, said Michael Coakley, the executive director of University Housing.
The Parking and Transit Services building, currently north of the Student Union, will be torn down and relocated, Coakley said.
The contract was granted to Inland American Real Estate Trust Inc., which took over housing maintenance at the Polytechnic campus Aug. 1, Coakley said. Inland American replaced Campus Living Villages as the maintenance company.
When the housing is completed, Inland American will receive the housing fees for an undetermined number of years at this time because they are going to pay for the initial cost of construction.
The goal of the long-term expansion project is to encourage at least 25 percent of the 15,000 students projected to attend the Polytechnic campus to live on campus, Coakley said.
Currently, there are 9,752 students who attend classes on the campus.
Right now, the dorms do not provide necessary program space for students, Coakley said.
The dining hall will be open to students, staff and the public and relieve some of the pressure to provide lunch in the Student Union, Coakley said.
The union will be open to more independent vendors similar to the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus after the dining hall is complete, he said.
However, not all students see the immediate need for the new dining hall.
“It’s never too crowded in here,” computer systems freshman Cody Begoye said.
Dominic Hernandez, president of the undergraduate student government at the Polytechnic campus, said he is going to hold open forums this semester and put out surveys to make sure the students can voice their opinion about the new housing and dining halls.
“It never makes good business sense to assume you know what’s best for the customer,” Hernandez said.
Some students are looking forward to the improved appearance of the campus.
“[The current dorms] don’t even look presentable,” said undeclared freshman Tiffany Lincoln, a Chandler-Gilbert Community College student who lives on the Polytechnic campus.
A planning committee will begin meeting this semester to help design the buildings, Coakley said.
There will be one representative from the Polytechnic student government appointed by the president and two appointed representatives from the Residence Hall Association.
The dean of students on the Polytechnic campus, representatives from University housing, Inland America and Aramark, as well as several other administrators from the University, will also contribute to the plans.
Reach the reporter at mary.shinn@asu.edu
