At its Dec. 21 meeting, the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees approved the development of student housing on the Kalispell campus.
The new facility is estimated to house roughly 100 beds with a goal of completion by fall semester 2017. Based on current construction costs, the college expects the entire project to cost up to $9.5 million, according to officials. The school will conduct a bid process for an architect in early 2016.
“During the past several years, our students and the community continued to express interest in on-campus student housing,” said FVCC president Jane Karas. “We have thoroughly evaluated the need and determined that this will expand opportunities for our students and benefit our community.”
Karas added that the development will provide new opportunities for students to access safe and affordable housing on campus. The units will be financially self-sustaining and will not impact local taxpayers, school officials said.
The community college has debated adding student housing in recent years. Previously, FVCC used two apartment buildings, located near Kalispell Regional Medical Center, that are leased from the hospital to the college that offer rooms for 28 students in 16 apartments.
“Our Board has reached the point where it makes sense and we are ready to move forward with housing on campus,” said FVCC Board of Trustees Chairperson Shannon Lund. “This is a very exciting time for our college and our students.”