Project Overview

The parking lots at the site have been used for special event parking and tailgating over the past few seasons without incident. In the new development, the special event parking lots (the larger lots at the southeast end of the site) will not be open to students or to the public during athletic events, but will be designated for donor parking. In addition, MSU will continue to encourage fans to celebrate responsibly and will evaluate the use of the parking lots on an on-going basis, making appropriate adjustments as needed.

Parking will be available onsite for residents and staff (including bike and moped parking). With the Redevelopment based close to the core of campus, this will also allow walkers excellent access to academic facilities and amenities.

The project will include:

• Three 4-story buildings that will provide 60 one bedroom units and 129 two-bedroom units for students with families;
• 244 housing units for individual students, consisting of a combination of studios and 2- and 4-bedroom apartments;
• Retail space, which will include, among other things, a grocery-lite marketplace, a ticketing office for University events and a Starbucks;
• University administrative offices;
• Surface parking lots and a parking deck; and
• Outdoor recreation spaces and common areas.

In order to continue offering affordable housing to students, we have to size the new development appropriately to ensure the space will be filled. Residential and Hospitality Services is a self-supporting auxiliary. As such, housing facilities must be designed so that they can be filled in order to manage costs. There is a need for single student graduate housing as well as family housing on campus, with the Redevelopment’s housing plan designed to address this need.

Family Apartments

1-Bedroom: 60 units
2-Bedroom: 129 units, 258 beds
Total: 189 apartments, 318 beds

Single Student Apartments

Spartan Village is approximately 70 acres. We are looking at a reduction in the total number of apartments to be built, using approximately 40 total acres.

The former State Police Post affords us a large swath of land that resides in the 100-year flood plain. While we cannot build housing on that portion of the property, it is ideal for a play and recreation area. Plans currently call for a reconstruction of the community garden that exists in Spartan Village.

MSU’s vision for the site is for it to be an engaging, walkable, urban space that places students close to the academic core of the University. The project was designed with its impact on the Red Cedar neighborhood in mind. To that end, the family housing was placed near the residential neighborhood in order to allow families to be next to families. The apartment buildings for individual students will be to the east of the existing University Village buildings near the intersection of Kalamazoo Street and Harrison Road.

MSU has a mission-driven need for student housing. Built in the 1950s and 1960s, the Spartan Village buildings have exceeded their life expectancy and have become very expensive to maintain and repair. While the buildings that are currently occupied remain safe for the time being, in order for us to continue to deliver outstanding Spartan experiences to our residents, we have determined that Spartan Village Apartments will close in 2017, pursuant to MSU’s strategic plan for Residential and Hospitality Services.