DAVIS, Calif. — The University of California, Davis (UC Davis), recently broke ground officially on The Green at West Village, a campus apartment project with room for up to 3,300 students.

“I’m thrilled to celebrate with our partners this major step forward in addressing the critical need for affordable student housing,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “Today’s groundbreaking is part of an ambitious plan to provide access to more housing for our students.”

Work on the site began in December and the first 1,000 beds are expected to be available for fall 2020; the remaining beds will be completed in time for occupancy in fall 2021. The student housing development will be part of the UC Davis West Village, which is the largest student housing construction project in the United States.

The Michaels Organization of New Jersey is the developer, with architectural services by Stantec, a global design company headquartered in Edmonton, Canada. The general contractor is CBG Building Co. of Arlington, Va.

“This student housing community demonstrates what is possible when the public sector and private sector form partnerships that leverage the strengths of both,” said Joe Coyle, president of Michaels Student Living. “An affordable, sustainable living environment for the students of UC Davis is the goal, and this groundbreaking is the first milestone toward that end.”

The Green at West Village will comprise nine four-story apartment buildings along with indoor and outdoor community space and recreational fields. A 10,000-square-foot community building will house a fitness center, multipurpose room and student support services. The project has a goal of 100 percent zero net-energy use on an annual basis.

The new undergraduate housing project is also a public-private partnership development with multiple study rooms and photovoltaic systems to provide power to the facility. The site for the construction is on approximately 34 acres to the north of the existing apartments at West Village and wraps around to the west.

The university’s original request for proposals aimed for 1,875 beds. However, UC Davis, The Michaels Organization and Stantec worked together to develop a plan that cut back on space for student vehicles, allowing more residential units.

The development is part of UC Davis’ new Long Range Development Plan, which projects the university will add 9,050 student beds and house 100 percent of any growth in student enrollment on campus.

The development is a public-private partnership between UC Davis, The Michaels Organization and Collegiate Housing Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

When construction is complete, the apartment complex will be operated by Collegiate Housing Foundation, which will hold the ground lease from the University of California. UC Davis Student Housing and Dining Services will provide on-site program and residence support services and be responsible for leasing and marketing activities.

The first phases of apartments at UC Davis West Village opened from 2011 to 2013, providing space for 2,261 students. The West Village is the largest planned “zero net energy” community in the United States. The West Village Neighborhood includes the existing apartments managed by Greystar, Los Rios Community College, the Energy Hub, and soon, additional undergraduate housing at The Green.

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SUIE is a coeducational, public master’s college and university in Edwardsville, located about 20 miles northeast of St. Louis. After spending its first 40 years as a commuter campus, SIUE introduced its first on-campus student housing in 1997. Due to increased growth of its student population, the school began developing off-campus student housing with two facilities already online.

Dubbed The Reserve, the complex is being developed by Cleveland-based Richland Residential and will be comprised of nine buildings hosting two-bedroom, three-bedroom and four-bedroom units. The new complex will be located on a 15-acre site at the New Poag Road entry to the campus.

The project has not been without its critics — last year, the complex faced opposition when an SIUE biology professor inaugurated a petition that argued the student house project was situated too close to Bohm Woods Nature Preserve. The designated hunting area consists of 90 acres, and the majority of the parcel is composed of “upland woodland with several small grassland parcels interspersed on the east and west sides of the property,” according to the preserve’s website. Prof. Richard Essner argued that The Reserve could threaten wildlife in the preserve, notably the forest interior songbirds.

“Many of them are threatened and endangered. They’re very sensitive to forest fragmentation and development,” Essner told CBS St. Louis last year. “When you have housing developments close to forests like this, these really sensitive forest interior species just don’t nest there. They leave and go elsewhere.”

Locally based general contractor Contegra Construction Co. broke ground on the $20 million project in November 2017. The complex will be comprised of wood-frame construction and clad with brick and siding. Individual apartment units will feature full kitchens, washers and dryers, and living spaces. The development will also feature a clubhouse with a number of amenities, including a workout room, study area and a lounge/gaming room as well as leasing offices. Students will also be able to enjoy a pool and make use of a separate bathhouse.

Founded in 2003 by Eric Gowin, Contegra is one of the area’s largest general contractors and serves a national customer base that includes industrial, institutional, municipal, multi-family, office and retail projects.

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