‘East Court’ development moves on up

The fate of a 26,000-square-foot-housing-complex lies in the hands of the NSCS Board of Trustees, who are expected to vote Friday on whether to move forward with the project intended to replace CSC’s West Court housing complex, built between 1957-61.

The board is voting on the appointment of an architecture selection committee to “prepare [a] program statement,” according to pre-meeting agenda materials.

The new project, now referred to as “East Court,” is likely to feature a mix of multi-bedroom and single-bedroom units, and would “most likely” be multi-story in structure, said Randy Rhine, vice president of Enrollment, Management, and Student Services.

The housing development is slated for an area just east of the Burkhiser Technology Complex.

A consultant, who specializes in residential facilities on college campuses, recently visited CSC and assisted in the analysis of the current college-housing situation. NSCS mandated campus master planning, which occurs every ten years, sparked the visit.

Rhine said that the new facility would not necessarily be an exclusively married-student housing option, though it might turn out that way.

Rhine further said that the existing West Court facility will most likely be demolished, but not until the new housing option is completed. Rhine also said that if West Court was demolished, the area would likely be converted into additional parking space.

A committee concerning the project has been suggested to the NSCS Board. Among the committee members from CSC are Rhine; Blair Brennan, coordinator of physical facilities; Sherri Simmons; director of housing and residence life; and Dale Grant, vice president for Administration and Finance.

According to Rhine, future steps for the project will include a set of meetings where the committee will “begin to develop a program statement that provides much more detail about the project.” After this, the project would then go “to the Board for review and then on to the Coordination Commission for review and approval.”