EVERETT — A hole in the ground off Broadway will soon be the site of a new housing complex for students at Everett Community College.
Work crews broke ground Oct. 22 on the lot on North Broadway behind a Starbucks and within walking distance of the campus. Work crews are preparing to pour the foundation.
When the building opens in time for the fall 2016 quarter, it will be the college’s second such housing facility.
Pat Sisneros, vice president of college services, said that many community colleges in the state are building or considering building housing as their international programs grow.
“We’re tapped out on homestays,” Sisneros said.
“Ultimately we want to have a couple hundred, if not more units,” he said.
The college leases the nearby Lona Vista Apartments across 10th Street as housing for 36 students. When the new building is completed, the college will likewise lease the building from the developer, Koz Development of Snohomish.
“We retain ownership of the building and also will be responsible for some of the management of the building itself,” said Cathy Reines, Koz’s president.
The $11 million project will be a five-story building with space for 120 students, with rooms up to 220 square feet that include a microwave and a sink. Common areas will have full kitchens.
The building will be operated by the college like a dorm, with a residence director and residence assistants on each floor, Reines said.
Koz will be responsible for maintenance and the common areas, she said.
Koz is the same company planning to build a 58-unit building for Trinity Lutheran College students in downtown Everett.
Trinity is awaiting approval of financing before work can start, Reines said.
In that case, Trinity will own the building outright and Koz will just design and build it.
Sisneros said the leasing option worked out to be a better financial choice for the college because of the capital that would have to be spent up front if it were to build its own housing.
“It would have taken a large financial investment from the college, and we decided it was better to partner with a developer because we have other capital needs on campus,” he said.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
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