West Chester University to add six new dorms

The bathroom down the hall at West Chester University is going the way of letters home to mom and dad - a relic of the past.

Six new dormitories will replace the school's aging complex of residence halls. The $300 million project will add 160 beds and be completed by August 2012.

The seven-story buildings will feature a number of must-haves for today's college student: air conditioning, private bathrooms, carpeted bedrooms, and lounges with plasma televisions on each floor.

Five existing residences will be demolished and replaced by five new buildings. The sixth dorm is planned for open space just east of University Hall.

The dorms to be razed are Wayne and Schmidt on West Rosedale Avenue, Sanderson on South New Street, and Ramsey and Tyson south of Sharpless Street.

"The new dorms reflect two things: the advent of air conditioning and wireless internet access," said Rich Pryzwara, executive director of the West Chester University Foundation and University Student Housing.

The 13,000-student school currently has living space, most of it nearly 40 years old, for 4,323 students.

The project is being financed through the sale of tax-exempt bonds. Then the university will use student rent revenue to pay the bonds.

The first bonds, for $101 million, were issued on March 25 when ground was broken.

In phase one, two new buildings, Allegheny and Brandywine, are expected to be completed by August 2009 when Ramsey and Tyson will then be demolished.

In the second phase, new dorms would be built at the site of Ramsey and Tyson, followed by the demolition of Schmidt and Sanderson. They are expected to open in the summer of 2010 or 2011, depending on the start date.

The final stage would see the construction of two new dorms on the site of Schmidt and Sanderson. Wayne would be replaced by open space.

The remaining residences, Goshen, McCarthy and Killinger, will be razed or renovated for other purposes.

The new buildings will feature semi-private suites with bathrooms and some apartment-style units.

"We're mirroring the expectation of families for their children," said Pryzwara.

Students will also be able to enjoy a new recreation center in the center of the dorm complex.

The school considered renovating the dorms but decided it was cheaper to build new, Pryzwara said.

The last university housing project was University Hall and the Village apartments, which opened in 2003 and added 788 beds.

Ninety-five percent of freshmen request on-campus housing, Pryzwara said. The school prefers, but does not require, freshmen to live on site, he said.

With the updated dorms, "students are going to want to stay on campus a little bit longer" rather than seeking housing in town, he added.