Davenport University Investing $6M in New Dorm
The two new buildings at Panther Ridge will be completed by fall, bringing the university’s total residential capacity to 932 beds.
Panther Ridge in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Grand Rapids, Mich.—Davenport University is investing roughly $6 million in the construction of two new buildings at the Panther Ridge student housing community. The expansion will increase the property’s capacity by 130 beds to 194.
“Construction began February 2017 and is slated to be completed for students to move in August 2017,” Lyndsie Post, director of communications at Davenport University, told Multi-Housing News.
The new constructions, located on the corner of 60th Street and Kraft Avenue S.E., will include three- and four-bedroom fully furnished units. Each bedroom will have its own bathroom and each apartment will feature an extra-long twin mattress, desk, desk chair, dresser and wardrobe. One of the buildings will include a community room, to be used by all residents. Common rooms will feature washer and dryer units. Access will be made using keyless entry card readers. All the units at Panther Ridge, including the existing ones, will have dishwashers.
Panther Ridge is connected to the university’s nearby W.A. Lettinga Campus through a paved walkway along Kraft Avenue, which will now be extended down 60th Street to a second entrance. This is Davenport University’s second apartment-style community, after Panther Woods, located just one mile away from the main campus.
“We are continuing to attract increasing numbers of new, traditional students who desire the full residential campus life experience,” Richard Pappas, president of Davenport, said in a prepared statement. “Expansion of Panther Ridge helps us to accommodate this growth. Over the past four years, by adding Panther Woods and Panther Ridge to our housing inventory while also providing some students the option to double up in residence hall rooms and reduce their costs, we have nearly doubled our capacity.”
The university offers housing for students in four locations: South, Cook Hall, Meijer Hall, Panther Woods and Panther Ridge. After the expansion is complete, the total capacity will be 932 beds.
Image courtesy of Davenport University
