(The Center Square) – The University of Wisconsin-Madison is looking to expand its dorm capacity through a privately owned dorm on state land on campus that would require nearly $30 million in annual rent.
The costs will be part of comparable housing costs for new students to add nearly 1,700 student beds to campus starting in fall 2029.
The nearly $338 million dorms will be build by developer PRG Badger Properties with an option for the state to buy the building after 10 years at fair-market value. The new dorms will be built after Merit Hall, a small dorm of 72 beds, is demolished.
The proposal passed the State Building Commission after it passed the Board of Regents and also must be approved by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.
“Housing capacity has not kept up” associate vice chancellor for University Housing Jeff Novak said about the plan.
Novak said that the last down to open was in 2013 and, since then, the university has added 2,000 freshmen and 8,000 total undergraduate students.
He said that there would be no impact on tuition and no taxpayer funds would be used on the project.
The university currently has 93% of its freshmen living in dorms, which are at 115% of their designed capacity with students living three to a room and utilizing planned spaces such as study rooms.
The model for campus housing is part of a nationwide trend to allow for campuses to increase dorm capacity without building the facilities with state capital funds.
“We are walking down a new map and trying something different,” said UW-Madison Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots.