The Falcon   |   Volume 83, Issue 52

Published 5/22/13   |   Log In

Irondale construction to start this spring

The proposed new residence hall, Irondale, will be bordered by Bertona Avenue, Sixth Avenue West, and Cremona Street.
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The new dorm will house 150 students, starting in 2014

By KARA SPOELSTRA, Staff Reporter

Published: March 6, 2013

After more than six years of planning, Seattle Pacific is starting construction on a 150-student dorm in the spring.

The new dorm will be called Irondale Residence Hall, named after the alley that borders the property. The five-story dorm will sit across from Demaray Hall.

According to a news release from Dave Church, assistant vice president for facility management, preconstruction, which involves preparing the land for building, will start early March, and construction is expected to begin in May.

Church said the university plans to move students into the dorm starting fall quarter of 2014.

The hall will include an underground parking lot for cars and bicycles. The outside design and room layout will be similar to Emerson Hall, with mostly suite-style rooms of two beds each and a shared bathroom.

The five-story building will have exercise and laundry rooms, with lounges and kitchens on each floor, along with a central lounge and kitchen.

The total cost of the building is estimated at $14.7 million, Church said. He said the project has been in the works since 2006.

Church said construction is starting on Irondale Hall because of an increased need for student housing. He also said construction prices are especially good right now.

Many feel the new building comes at an opportune time, as students are feeling the pressure from the largest freshman class yet.

“Our class is one of the biggest, and it’s just going to get bigger,” freshman Rachael Welch said. “I’m really lucky to be in a double.”

Sophomore Emily Birks said there a lot of triples (three people in a room) this year, making the dorms feel crowded. There are more than 100 triple rooms in the four residence dorms.

“It’ll give people more options and bring something new to the campus,” Birks said.

“We definitely need more space,” sophomore Luka Vujovich said. “The school is expanding.”

According to an email from Elonna Visser, associate director of Housing and Meal Plan Services, Irondale will house incoming freshmen, as well as continuing students.

“We are hopeful that the additional beds will allow for an even greater class mix in the halls than we have currently,” Visser said.

As construction gets underway, students can anticipate some reduced parking near the construction area.

“There will be changes to parking and changes to pedestrian traffic, and there will probably be some noise impacts,” Church said.

All of the streets around the Irondale block will remain open, but street parking along Sixth Avenue West and West Cremona Street near the construction site will be restricted.

Church said that there are no immediate plans to repurpose other dorm halls.

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