Earlier this month, the University of Utah announced it would be closing the 350-stall Kahlert Village parking lot to make way for a new student housing development. The U said this change is a step towards creating “‘college town magic’ on a historically commuter campus.”
The stalls lost in the new housing development will be replaced, one-for-one, by spaces in Research Park at Lot 111 and around Fort Douglas.
“We know this will create some inconvenience for students, faculty and staff who live and work in this area,” Jennifer Reed, associate vice president for Auxiliary Services, said in the U’s announcement. “But we are excited about a housing project that will contribute to the transformation of student and visitor life on campus.”
New Housing
The new housing development plans to add 1,449 new beds to campus by installing a six-story, nearly 350,000-square-foot building on the old lot, according to a PDF summary of the project by Lori Kaczka, senior director of facilities.
“Our president has a plan to add 5,000 student beds on campus,” Jim Russell, associate vice president of facilities, said. “This is the first phase of achieving that goal and a critical component in our efforts to create ‘college town magic’ for our students.”
The building will be constructed through a public-private partnership between the U andAmerican Campus Communities. The U will contribute $13.5 million to the $151 million construction costs.
“[American Campus Communities] will operate and maintain the building for 55 years, with two 10-year renewals possible at the partner’s option,” Rebecca Walsh, communication director for the U, shared in an email. “The university will own the building from day 1 and handle marketing the space and pairing students to housing through our regular HRE portal.”
Other building features listed in Kaczka’s PDF summary include indoor bouldering walls, an outdoor bike wash, ski and snowboard lockers and tuning stations, lounges and food services. The dorms will consist of single and double rooms, suites and semi-suites, tailored to first and second-year students.
The building is slated to open in fall 2026.
Transportation Struggles
In the coming months, the U will announce expanded shuttle services and parking options to address transportation issues on campus.
“Commuter Services continues to take a balanced approach to providing the campus with transportation options,” Collin Simmons, executive director for auxiliary services, said in an email to the Chronicle. “Mass transit, pedestrian and bike accessibility, alternative options like scooters and e-bikes and more.”
To address parking issues, Auxiliary Services has also proposed creating a parking app to show commuters where open spots are in live time. The U has also considered adjusting class schedules, so parking lots aren’t flooded with cars at the same time.
“[The Kahlert parking lot] was never designed to be a long-term parking option because of the housing masterplan,” Simmons wrote.
He added the new Physical Development Plan the U is working on finalizing includes finding potential locations for a new parking garage on the main campus.
For students living at Kahlert, Simmons suggested parking in the LDSI parking garage south of Kahlert, Guardsman Way or Lot 111. SafeRide currently picks up students in Lot 111 and can drop them off at the Marriott Honors Community, Kahlert, Lassonde Studios, the Heritage Center and Impact Prosperity Center.
Noah • Aug 27, 2024 at 10:27 am
It is awesome that the U is expanding housing options on campus since so many people live very far from campus and commuting is becoming a larger and larger problem, but we need affordable options. Kahlert Village is out of reach for many people who want to graduate college without accruing too much debt since debt severely damages the value we get from college.