New apartmet complex design finalized

By Alissa Schafer
The Saint Reporter

East Area is about to get a new look
— anticipation is mounting as plans
are being finalized for the new
apartment complex to be built on the
east side of campus.
The planning
process behind this
undertaking has
been quite extensive.
Aquinas faculty and
staff have hosted
several open forums and meetings
over the past couple years in order
to best address the needs of the
campus and student body as a whole.
As enrollment continues to
steadily increase, the need for
additional housing becomes more
prevalent. At the same time, Aquinas
is also working to maintain its mission
to strive towards sustainability.
Other campus resources such as
parking and food service are being
factored into the plans as well.
Parking is a large concern for
many students.
While the exact
situation is still
to be
determined, it
will be an
inconvenience.
“Construction will impact parking
negatively,” said Randy MacGeorge,
Director of Residence Life. “So things
will get a little worse before they get
better.”
Aside from potential parking
frustration, the new plans have been
getting a lot of positive feedback and
are promising to be a valuable asset
to the college.
The current plans will include
many features of the Ravine
Apartments with a couple key differences
— single person bedrooms
and more general meeting rooms.
There will also be several
community areas, laundry facilities
and study desks with lounge type
settings.
“The new plans really foster a
sense of community,” said
sophomore Emily Kokx, who has
been helping with the process.
The demand for those who wish
to be a resident of the new complex
is anticipated to be very high.
The complex will be open to
juniors and seniors through an
application process similar to the one
required for Ravine. Additionally,
Ravine will become available to
sophomores, maintaining its current
application process.
Design +, a Grand Rapids based
company, began working on the
project in June.
Suzanne Makarwicz, an Aquinas
alumni employed at Design +, has
been assigned as the apartment’s
interior designer.
With construction planned to
begin this fall, the apartments should
be finished by the beginning of
August.
“As a freshman, I can’t wait to live
there,” said Ashley Richards.
“Eventually I’d like to be a resident of
the complex. I’m pretty excited for
when that day comes.”