Details of new residences released

Two new buildings will be similar in room structure to Legget and Watts Halls

One of the new residence buildings is slated to be constructed on what’s now Leonard Field.
Image by: Prisca Choi
One of the new residence buildings is slated to be constructed on what’s now Leonard Field.

Planning for the $70 million new residence project is underway following Board of Trustee’s approval in December.

The two new residence buildings, which will accommodate first-years, upper-years and international students, are expected to be open in fall 2015.

“[The new buildings] will eliminate overcrowding,” said Alan Harrison, provost and vice-principal (academic).

For years, campus residences have had to respond to a high demand for residence rooms for first-years.

This lead to some floor common rooms to be converted into residence rooms and other single rooms to be utilized as economy rooms for two students.

Over 50 rooms have been available for graduate students at Confederation Place Hotel since this fall, and 98 first-years have moved into the JDUC.

One of the new residences will border St. Lawrence Ave., Stuart and Albert Streets and the other will be on the south side of campus on Leonard Field between Morris and McNeill House Halls.

The rooms in the new buildings will be similar to the layout of Leggett Hall and Watts Hall.

There will be single room bedrooms connected by a bathroom.

Both of these new buildings will have air conditioning in every room, Harrison said, an attractive feature to those looking to use Queen’s accommodation over the summer months. When the doors to the new residences open, students will likely pay similar prices to Watts and Leggett.

“The market should compel that they are around the same price,” he said.

To compliment the two new residents there will be a new Sodexo food service available within one of the residences, similar to the Lazy Scholar located in Victoria Hall. The University started looking at different sites for these residences in 2010. Many different sites were considered, including one on West Campus. The project is being financed through long-term borrowing and then sustained by residence fees. Once the plans are secure, the construction contract will be available to bid on by construction companies in Kingston in May. “[The new buildings] will benefit students in a significant number of ways residents are an essential component of the Queen’s student experience.”

­— With files from Katherine Fernandez-Blance

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