Eastern Michigan University breaks ground on “Welcome Home 2025” – a $200 million student housing project
The three-year project, known as “Welcome Home 2025,” will feature the construction of two entirely new student living facilities: Lakeview Apartments and Westview Apartments. The new buildings feature an additional 700 beds in an apartment-style living arrangement. These new facilities will transform the campus landscape, with the Lakeview Apartments located adjacent to the University’s Student Center and overlooking the pond and University Park. The new Westview Apartments will be located between the west side of campus, which features many of the University’s Athletics facilities, and the main campus.
In addition to the new construction, Welcome Home 2025 includes renovations to all remaining residence halls on the University’s campus, with enhancements to include new air conditioning, new bathrooms, and state-of-the-art technology. Several older housing units will be demolished as part of the plan. These include Best, Brown Munson, Buell, Hill, Hoyt, Pittman, and the old Westview Apartments.
“Our students deserve the best, and Welcome Home 2025 will deliver the best,” said Eastern Michigan University President James Smith. “This initiative, which is the result of tremendous work, commitment, and feedback from our University community, ensures access to quality, affordable housing that meets the needs of today’s students. This is a critical milestone for the University and the quality of our students’ experience, and I cannot wait to see how these new spaces will foster student growth and success for years to come.”
By design, the shared amenity spaces and upgrades will facilitate social interaction and a sense of community, all while supporting living-learning and overall well-being to ensure success for a diverse student population. Planning efforts for the facility design and operations involved an extensive engagement process over four months that included thousands of conversations and opportunities to engage with faculty, staff, students, and campus organizations and stakeholders.
“Students are very excited to see this investment in student life and our on-campus experience, and we’re proud of the role that EMU students played in getting this project off the ground,” said Student Body President Auryon Azar. “Walking by the construction site is a reminder of what is possible when we advocate for ourselves and work with leaders in our community: we drive progress for everyone.”
Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents Chair Eunice Jeffries said, “EMU remains committed to supporting our students and their wellbeing – in and out of the classroom – and ensuring all students have access to living and learning environments that help them to thrive and call EMU home. This project allows us to build first-class living spaces that meet the needs and exceed the expectations of our students now and in the future. They deserve it.”
The project team includes Gilbane Development Company as developer with Gilbane Building Company, Michigan-based Clark Construction, and AVB, Inc. as design-builders.
Gilbane Development Company is coordinating financing through tax-exempt bonds as part of a Public-Private Partnership (P3) delivery approach.
“This is a first-of-its-kind, truly holistic campus modernization project,” said Edward Broderick, president and chief executive officer of Gilbane Development Company. “Through this exciting and productive partnership, we will execute new builds, demolition, and renovation work simultaneously – an extraordinary undertaking that allows EMU to reimagine the university experience for students for many years to come. At Gilbane, we have built a strong record of success across sectors over our 150-year history, but it is these kinds of meaningful social infrastructure projects where our experience and commitment to community-run deepest.”
Gilbane Building Company Area Manager Lynn Rogien added “We at Gilbane Building Company, along with our development team partners, are excited to bring the Welcome Home 2025 vision to life at Eastern Michigan University. This very important work will transform student housing for EMU students and will provide multiple opportunities for local trade contractors, including Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBE”) partners. We look forward to delivering high quality, affordable facilities that will enhance the residential experience of EMU’s students and support the greater mission of Eastern Michigan University as an institution of opportunity for all.”
Progressive AE and Mackey Mitchell Architects are serving as architects of record, with minority-owned Moody Nolan, Inc. as associate design architect. Progressive is also serving as engineer for the new construction projects, with IMEG as engineer of record for renovation projects. Rieth Jones Advisors is providing advisory services to the University.
For additional background information about the timeline and extensive campus/student engagement in the design and development process, visit welcomehome2025.com.
About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 14,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University’s Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University’s website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.
About Gilbane
Gilbane, Inc., a private holding company marking its 150th year in business, is one of the oldest and largest family-owned construction, investment, and real estate development firms in the world. Gilbane Development Company is the project development, financing, and ownership arm of Gilbane, providing a full slate of real estate development and property management services. Gilbane Building Company is a full-service construction services firm providing preconstruction, general contracting, construction management, and design-build services on some of the nation’s most complex projects. Gilbane’s Public Private Partnership Group has delivered or has underway more than $4 billion in P3 projects for healthcare, higher education, K-12 schools, and federal/state/municipal clients. Visit www.gilbaneco.com for more information.
About Rieth Jones Advisors
Rieth Jones Advisors (RJA) provides institutions of higher education and municipalities with customized advisory services for facility development, including academic, auxiliary, athletic, and student life assets. Using a tailored approach that is customized to the project, RJA has advised on more than $6.5 billion worth of projects, including $1.25 billion in public-private partnerships (P3) and 170,000+ beds of on-campus student housing. With more than 90+ institutions and 10 governmental entities across 25 states, RJA provides value in every interaction, driving exceptional results, and delivering beyond expectations.
Media contacts:
Melissa Thrasher
Director of Media Relations
Eastern Michigan University
mthrashe@emich.edu | +1 734 487 4401
Stephanie Handfield
Vice President of Marketing
Gilbane Development Company
shandfield@gilbaneco.com | +1 401 456 5456
Lynn Rasic
Vice President, Global Communications
Gilbane Building Company
lrasic@gilbaneco.com | +1 212 822 0319