Eastern Michigan University to invest $200M to overhaul student housing

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Eastern Michigan University officials recently announced plans to invest $200 million to improve the school’s on-campus student housing.

As part of the project, two new residence halls will be built, older units will be demolished and those that remain will undergo renovations. According to officials, housing facilities on campus are approximately 57 years old and are in need of “substantial modernization.”

“Under our ‘Welcome Home 2025 plan, every residence hall that remains on our campus will be renovated other than Wise Hall, which was renovated in 2017,” Eastern Michigan University President James Smith said in a release. “Plus, we will have two entirely new residence halls that will be stunning in their design.

“The new housing communities will be highly user-friendly and efficient for our students, and they will contribute greatly to the overall vibrancy of our campus environment. As of today, it’s all systems go for the start of this transformational project.”

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Construction is set to begin this summer after the school’s Board of Regents approved the plans. EMU Campus Living will be responsible for designing, building and maintaining the residential buildings on campus for the next 35 years, according to the agreement.

As part of the plan, a new apartment-style residence hall with roughly 400 beds will be built next to the Student Center. The other new dormitory will be built near the athletics complex on the west side of campus and will replace existing apartments with a 300-bed occupancy.

To see renderings of the buildings, click here.

The brand-new residence halls will feature air conditioning and state-of-the-art WiFi, according to a release. Students have played a central part in designing the new room layouts.

The school’s operations partner on the project is Gilbane Development, which will manage the properties.

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To learn more about the housing project, visit EMU’s Welcome Home 2025 site.