Under the plan, Mercer Hall will be demolished in 2011 to make way for new apartment buildings. Photo courtesy UW Housing and Food Services.

The UW Board of Regents approved March 20 an $850 million plan to expand student housing at the Seattle campus with a net gain of about 2,365 beds. Currently the UW houses about 5,400 students in space meant for 4,500, mostly by converting double rooms into triples. The plan calls for three new residence halls and five new apartment buildings, each about six-stories tall, to be built in the southwest area of campus near Terry-Lander. Mercer Hall, built in 1970, would be demolished as part of the plan and existing residence halls would be renovated, eliminating communal bathrooms.

To pay for the project, the UW would issue bonds backed by housing and food services fees. Currently a UW freshman pays about $4,100 for three quarters in a dorm. Under the plan, rates would rise by 2 percent annually and a one-time, 20 percent increase would be applied to newly renovated rooms.

Also see:

• UW Residence Halls Plan (.pdf file)
• UW Housing and Food Services
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “UW wants more living room for students”
• Seattle Times: “UW has a huge plan for housing”