Michaels Organization Debuts Phase I of Student Housing Project

The Green at West Village interior. Image courtesy of The Michaels Organization and Stantec

Students have begun moving into the more than 1,000 beds that were completed in The University of California, Davis’ The Green at West Village project.

The first phase of The Green saw the development of a utility building, outdoor courtyards and three four-story residential buildings located at 298 and 301 Celadon St. and 2079 Tilia St. The fully furnished apartments range in size from studios, one-, two- and four-bedrooms.

In total, the overall student housing project will include nearly 3,300 beds throughout nine buildings. Located on a 34-acre site, The Green is the largest student housing development currently under construction in the U.S., according to Stantec. The project will also include a 10,000-square-foot community building that includes a fitness center, multi-purpose room and support services.

UC Davis found a developer for the major project through The Michaels Organization. The project team also includes Stantec, who designed the property, and CBG Building Co., who is the general contractor. Michaels Student Living Management was also tapped to manage the community, while the university’s Student Housing and Dining Services department will be in charge of marketing, leasing and on-site residence life support services.

Richey Madison, Stantec’s principal for West Coast Education, told Multi-Housing News that the first phase broke ground in February 2019 and was completed slightly ahead of schedule. Madison also told MHN that the second phase is currently underway and will not be delayed due to COVID-19 or the ongoing wildfires.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE DESIGN

As the project is a public-private partnership, Madison told MHN there were many design influences in working with UC Davis. Madison explained that Stantec developed an intuitive wayfinding strategy that made the campus easier to navigate, doubled the use of bike storage in courtyards as barriers, and also separated all the bicyclists from pedestrians and vehicles.

“UC Davis and the City of Davis have one of the most robust cycling cultures of any academic campus in the country so our approach must support and organize parking for its 3,400 students at a 1-to-1 ratio,” Madison told MHN.

Stantec also designed each building to meet UC Davis’ benchmarks of 40 percent or more reduction in building energy use, Madison told MHN. The Green is also targeting LEED Silver certification and is being built with the goal of zero net energy, where the project generates as much energy as it uses.