New residence halls planned for fall 2006
By: Nick Lucchesi
Issue date: 12/2/04 Section: News
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The two new buildings, estimated to cost between $14 and $15 million, will be completed by fall 2006, pending approval by the City Planning Commission and the Webster Groves City Council. Together, the two buildings will house 310 more students on campus.
At an open house in the UC Sunnen Lounge, administrative and residential life staff answered questions and concerns from surrounding residents. While some residents who did not support a previous plan to build a residence hall near Big Bend Boulevard and Catalina Avenue support the new plans, many still have concerns.
Greg Mueller, Big Bend Neighborhood Association president, was against the previous dorm proposal in January 2004.
"I was intimately involved in opposing the Big Bend and Catalina dorm, and I support this cause," Mueller said.
Other residents who live on Catalina Avenue are concerned about a variety of issues.
"Students will be cutting through all hours of the night," said Karen Imse, a resident on Catalina Avenue. "Those neighbors will not be able to utilize their backyard. They're going to feel like people are staring at them and watching them."
Hannah Peters, who lives on Catalina Avenue, said the renderings of the buildings put them closer to her home she wants.
"I want it further down on Garden," Peters said. "It's too close to Catalina. I have concerns about that many more students, and traffic on Catalina is already pretty bad."
Several residents said they support the new proposal, and that the main difference between the rejected proposal earlier this year is location.
Webster's current students got a chance to see the new plans Nov. 29. Dean of Students Ted Hoef told students the buildings will be built where the south parking lot for the Webster Village Apartments (WVA) is located. A four-person room will cost a student between $1,700 and $1,800 a semester.
Students for the dorm proposal said many neighbors are more supportive this time around, but the number of students crossing Edgar Road is still going to be a problem.
"Even the people who were opposing the last dorm plan were optimistic about this one," said Phil Eckelkamp, a senior and member of the Webster University Neighborhood Committee. "I think their biggest concern is how to monitor foot traffic."
The housing fees and University-sold bonds will pay for the building's construction, Hoef said.
A parking lot will also be built on either side of Hazel Avenue, available for use only by WVA residents, to replace spaces lost.
The architecture for the new buildings resembles that of the community, specifically the Thompson Music Building on campus. Each building will be four floors tall, 18 feet taller than a WVA building.
One building, which will house 112 students, will be available for sophomores, juniors and seniors. The other, housing 198 students, will be an all-freshmen building. There will be four-person suites in the freshmen building, and four and six-person suites in the upperclassmen building.
If the buildings are built, Maria Hall, one of Webster's current dorms, may be closed for intermediate repairs.
The proposal goes before the Webster Groves City Council in January. Hoef said that for the buildings to be completed by the start of the fall 2006 semester, construction must begin in May 2005.
