Northern Michigan University to Construct $80M Student Housing Development

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Marquette-based Northern Michigan University has broken ground on a new $80 million multibuilding development that will be used as a living and learning community for student residents.

The new community will consist of six interconnected buildings that feature dorm rooms, internet and Wi-Fi capabilities, classrooms, study rooms, TV lounges, and laundry facilities.

A large patio area, fireplaces, and lobbies, which are designed to accommodate art shows, student events, university functions, and various types of entertainment, will also be constructed.

The project, expected to be completed by the fall of 2018, will serve as a direct replacement for the dorms in the university’s quad one complex, which will be torn down. The architect for the project is Neumann/Smith Architecture in Southfield.

“I think the enhanced on-campus housing is an incredibly positive, transformative opportunity,” says Fritz Erickson, president of Northern Michigan University. “It is going to allow us to greatly strengthen our capabilities to recruit and retain students in today’s highly competitive education environment, enrich student life, and address a very serious facilities and maintenance issue.”

More than 1,200 beds will be delivered in multiple phases in the second half of 2017 and the fall of 2018 to allow the university to accommodate student bed count needs during construction.

EdR, a Memphis, Tenn.-based developer, owner, and manager of collegiate housing, was chosen by the university to execute development, finance, construction, and management of the project, which will be the largest development in the university’s history.

Upon completion, EdR will operate the residence halls under a 75-year lease and manage the facility, while Northern Michigan University will provide life services for residents.