Students will attend East Lansing schools, just as Spartan Village children do. We will work with the school district on school bus routes to serve the new development.
With East Lansing and Lansing offering many wonderful and affordable housing options, the redevelopment looks to focus on housing MSU’s student population rather than long-term staff. MSU is currently exploring options for housing visiting faculty and scholars near and on campus.
We are committed to meeting the needs of our students, especially graduate students, international students and students with families. There has been a significant shift in the population we serve at Spartan Village Apartments. While the demand for family housing has declined over the years, the need for single student housing – including graduate and international students – has increased.
Following an in-depth feasibility study of three campus properties – the current Spartan Village site, the former Cherry Lane/Faculty Bricks site and the former State Police Post site – the former State Police Post site at the corner of Harrison and Kalamazoo was identified as the strongest site for this project. Current plans call for the redevelopment to open in 2017, with a subsequent closure of Spartan Village.
Decisions about which buildings will come offline will be determined as they come up for costly scheduled maintenance and repairs. The buildings are safe for occupancy and residents will be notified in a timely manner to enable them to plan accordingly.
Housing built in the Redevelopment’s Phase 1 will began leasing in the fall of 2015 for a move-in date of summer 2016, with Phase 2 housing beginning leasing in the fall of 2016 for a move-in date of summer 2017. Spartan Village Apartments will not close until the new development is fully built and operational. REHS staff is committed to being effective, efficient, transparent and timely throughout this process and are prepared to assist with moving.
International students have been a strong part of the Spartan Village community. We are committed to engaging the thoughts of Spartan Village community members, and that most definitely includes international students. Current residents will have priority to continue residence in the new housing if they so choose.
Yes. Student feedback has been integral in making sure design plans fit current and future students’ needs. We are committed to providing housing options that meet the needs of all students — graduate and undergraduate; single or those with families; as well as domestic and international students. We will be transparent throughout this process and will ensure there continue to be opportunities for all students to share their needs and concerns.
We have heard a variety of feedback, including input from the students taken into account during the design process. Themes included safety, connectivity to campus and other community resources, water quality, parking availability, play space, walkability and – what shows to be a top priority – community space.
The *proposed rates for 2016-17 student family housing are $800-825 for a one-bedroom and $925-950 for a two-bedroom. We will be mindful to keep the cost affordable and competitive with the local housing market in order to meet the budgetary needs of students. Rates for single student housing will be determined closer to its opening in summer of 2017.