Eastern Michigan University (EMU) Student Housing

EMU turned to a public-private partnership (P3) delivery for its Welcome Home EMU Plan. Gilbane was selected to lead the transformative three-year campus initiative in partnership with EMU. Gilbane’s vertically integrated approach as developer, builder, and operator creates a single point of accountability for EMU. Gilbane Development Company coordinated the financing through a 501(c)3 tax-exempt structure.

The University intensified its strategic focus with a 50-year Infrastructure Partnership, which will drive improvements to its district energy system but more importantly will realize efficiency through the integration and coordination with the Welcome Home EMU housing initiative. Gilbane, as Master Developer, selected and will oversee the 50-year partnership with Eagle Energy Partners, a consortium consisting of CenTrio Energy, Noresco, and Burns & McDonnell, all of which bring deep energy-sector expertise to modernize utility systems and improve sustainability efforts.

As part of the community campus engagement plan, nearly 2,000 students, 150 faculty, and countless staff provided valuable feedback through surveys, focus groups, and student and faculty senate meetings. Throughout this highly consultative process, providing long-term affordability for students remained the primary objective.

The resulting updates include two new student living facilities: Lakeview Apartments – a 400-bed apartment-style residence hall adjacent to the new Student Center – and Westview Apartments, a 300-bed apartment community that will serve as a dynamic gateway between the west campus, which features many of the University’s athletics facilities, and the main campus. Improvements to existing housing include new air conditioning; improved and enhanced WiFi; updated lounges, study spaces, and community kitchens; new common area furniture; refreshed bathrooms, floors, and windows; new energy-efficient LED lighting; and new recording/podcasting room, green screen room, and prayer room. By design, the common spaces and upgrades will facilitate social interaction and a sense of community, all while supporting a vibrant living-learning experience that will promote success for a diverse student population.

New construction began in the fall of 2022 and will conclude by the fall of 2024. All renovations will be completed by the fall of 2024.

Project Overview

• Creative public-private partnership (P3) developed to align interests and transfer risk from EMU
• Design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) model
• Project includes Gilbane’s formation of an on-campus facility and property management platform that interacts with all existing on-campus departments including Finance and Administration, Housing and Residence Life, and Facility/Plant/Maintenance
• Team: Gilbane Development Company as the developer; Gilbane Building Company, Michigan-based Clark Construction, and AVB, Inc. as design-builders; and Progressive AE and Mackey Mitchell Architects PC are serving as architects of record, with minority-owned Moody Nolan as associate design architect. Progressive is also serving as the engineer for the new construction projects, with IMEG as the engineer of record for renovation projects. Rieth Jones Advisors is providing advisory services to the University.