OSU-Cascades picks dining-housing development firm
Oregon State University – Cascades said Wednesday it has selected a partner to develop and construct the first student residence and dining/academic facilities that will sit on its proposed site in Bend, representing the four-year university long sought by the Central Oregon region.
American Campus Communities was selected to be OSU-Cascades’ partner in the development and construction of the $42 million campus project. It was awarded the right to begin pre-development services for the facilities while OSU-Cascades awaits the outcome of land use proceedings regarding the 10.44 acre campus site in west Bend.
A developer, owner and manager of student housing communities, American Campus Communities has partnered with universities to develop on- and off-campus housing throughout the United States and Canada. Within Oregon, the company has developed housing for Oregon State in Corvallis, Portland State University and Southern Oregon University in Ashland.
A two-story dining/academic facility is planned to be located at the center of the 10-acre property and serve as the heart of the campus. The 27,000 square-foot facility will feature a fireplace, coffee shop and informal seating.It will serve about 250 diners in a single seating, with additional outdoor seating areas.
In addition to dining and food service functions, the facility will house, eight 20-student classrooms, a multi-faith room and offices. The dining area will cater to faculty and community members, in addition to students.
The student residence facility will feature two wings of three and four stories each and is designed to create a sense of community for students. The 86,000 square-foot facility will accommodate more than 300 students.
Rooms will be configured as single-, double-, triple-, and quadruple-occupancy suites.The facility will include a fitness center, game room, social lounge and kitchens, and study areas.
A portion of the ground floor of the building will include retail space where students can purchase snacks and convenience items, office supplies and OSU-Cascades fan gear. The building will also include indoor storage for bikes and snow sports gear, as well as a bike repair station.
The development of an on-campus student housing facility is the first step toward establishing a primarily residential campus, with a long-term goal of 40 percent of students living on campus. That goal was established by a community task force of the OSU-Cascades Campus Expansion Advisory Committee.
Other objectives of the task force included creating a vibrant, dynamic campus with residential options that are priced competitively. Working with American Campus Communities, OSU-Cascades officials said they are confident that the project facilities will help achieve these goals.
The campus construction project is designed to achieve a LEED Silver rating in keeping with OSU-Cascades’ sustainability vision. Sustainable features include building materials that are regionally sourced and have large amounts of recycled content, and mechanical systems that recover heat otherwise wasted.
The buildings’ infrastructure will accommodate future rooftop solar panels that can meet 100 percent of the buildings’ electrical demand, as well as mechanical systems that can be connected to a future central utility plant for greater energy efficiency.
The project is anticipated to create approximately 375 jobs over a 12- to 14-month construction period. Oregon State University plans to issue a revenue bond to pay for the project facilities, with housing, dining and other lease revenues used to pay back the debt service.
Additionally, under a separate contract, OSU-Cascades will develop a 43,650 square-foot, three-story academic building with classrooms, laboratories, administrative offices, and study space.
A start date for construction on the American Campus Communities project has not yet been determined. An appeal of the campus site plan, which has been approved by the Bend City Council, is being reviewed by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. A decision from LUBA is anticipated in early June.
