New campus housing on table

The demolition and rebuilding of Odum Village could be part of four major housing projects slated for construction in the next few years.

An ongoing housing study at UNC, conducted by consulting firm Brailsford & Dunlavey, will help UNC decide how best to plan housing for Odum Village, University Square, Carolina North and Carolina Commons.

The projects range from renovation, in the case of Granville Towers at University Square, to major rebuilding, which is predicted for Odum Village.

Housing developments at Carolina North and Carolina Commons would be new projects. Because no concrete plans have been established, administrators do not know how much the renovations will cost.

The study was prompted by the need to renovate or rebuild Odum Village by the fall of 2012. All residence halls are required to have sprinklers installed by that time, and most other residence communities already have them.

“But with Odum, we’re facing whether it’s worth that amount of investment or better to rebuild,” said Larry Hicks, director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education.

The results of the study will determine how much of Odum Village, built in the 1960s, will be totally rebuilt and in what style. The study will also consider using the remaining three properties for undergraduate, graduate, faculty or staff housing.

“Faculty housing has been on the plate for a while,” said Gordon Merklein, director of real estate development.

Carolina Commons, a community planned exclusively for faculty and staff housing, would offer low-density housing — as in traditional suburban neighborhoods — near Lake Hogan Farms in Carrboro.

UNC is also considering offering high-density, or apartment-style housing, for staff and faculty members at University Square and Carolina North.

“I absolutely think there will be interest in housing,” said McKay Coble, chairwoman of the Faculty Council.

Coble added that proximity to the University and downtown would be a popular feature, especially for younger faculty members. Finding cheap housing near campus has been a problem for new faculty.

The company conducting the study is planning to survey the staff and faculty to measure demand for both low- and high-density housing, Merklein said.

“We’re still looking at what the demand might be like.”

Most housing at Carolina North, the planned research campus that will be located two miles north of the main campus, is being designed for graduate students.

University Square would likely continue to focus on undergraduate housing, but renovations to Granville Towers would incorporate more mixed-use spaces, said Rick Bradley, spokesman for the Department of Housing and Residential Education.

The current study includes a series of focus groups, an online study sent out to students last week and market research into 30 off-campus housing developments popular with students. It is designed to measure the amenities and rates students seek.

“We’ve had a pretty solid response to the survey,” Hicks said. More than 3,600 students completed it in the first two days.

Hicks said he expects to hear initial results of the study in the next few weeks.

The University hopes to have a plan for Odum Village by the end of January.

UNC has conducted similar studies prior to beginning major housing projects in the past and typically conducts a survey every four to five years.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.