President Donna Shalala, along with Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dean Colson and Mayor of Coral Gables Don Slesnick, officially broke ground on University Village last Wednesday, March 23. The Village will be on 12 landscaped acres near Red Road and Brescia Avenue. This will be the first new housing development on campus in 35 years, with 800 singles in 271 units for upperclassmen, law and graduate students. Shalala hopes that the creation of such housing will help encourage students, who may otherwise have lived off campus, to stay involved in campus activities.
“Our students are thrilled about this new housing option which will allow them to stay involved in the UM community,” Shalala said.
As of now, only 27 percent of students can live on campus. The Village will include landscaped lawns, additional security for the area and extra parking for residents. The complex will also have a full-time manager. After 13 years of planning thusfar, University Village is scheduled to be completed by 2006.