After nearly two years of development and planning, new Project Manager Tim Dean announced that University Village is on track for a 2009 opening.

Dean said that University Enterprises is expecting the first set of homes to be ready for purchase and occupancy in late 2009. He went on to say that the 25-acre site, which was acquired in 2005 after being vacated by the California Youth Authority, will hold anywhere from 300 to 400 homes and is located one mile from campus off of Ramona Avenue.

“Most homes will be single family?two or three stories tall on narrow lots,” Dean said. “Some homes, however, will be townhouse-style and attached. (Others) will have a separate unit that can be rented out or used by the occupants as an office, storefront or studio apartment.”

Dean added that there will also be condominiums and lofts available above certain businesses that are located in the same general vicinity as University Village. He said that while it is still too early to produce actual size or price information he predicts that most of the homes will be anywhere from 1200 to1700 square feet, with smaller condominiums and lofts.

Executive Director of University Enterprises Matt Altier said that Dean was hired following a long interview process.

“We went through an interview process with several candidates and Tim was chosen for his building and construction management experience, as well as his enthusiasm for the project,” Altier said. “He has not let us down so far and is doing a fantastic job.”

Altier went on to say that one piece of information that has been secured by Dean, thus far, is that the University Village homes, condominiums and lofts will be both affordable and well worth the wait.

“The homes?will be sold below market value to assist faculty and staff members with home ownership in a nice village community near the campus,” Altier said.

Professor of Public Policy and Economics Robert Wassmer said that he believes that the homes will be affordable.

“The homes will be affordable because the university owns the land,” Wassmer said. “Faculty and staff members are only paying for the structure (or home) and the cost of construction, not the land, which is what usually makes buying a home so expensive. (Faculty and staff members) will also be buying the homes with a deed or restriction that says how much they can sell the home for and who they can sell it to.”

Assistant Professor of Communication Studies David Zuckerman said that he thinks that the new community will be successful because the basic intentions of the university and University Enterprises.

“The purpose (of the project) is to provide different levels of homes, with a mixture of duplexes, condos and townhouses, to account for the different pay levels of faculty and staff members.”

Altier said that although no decisions have been made the University Village community could include anything from a community center and shops to restaurants, a child care center and a fitness center.

Wassmer said that although things like a community center or day care service might be nice, and even necessary for some, they are also very likely to push up the overall price of the homes and condos.

Altier went on to say that future community members can also expect alternative forms of transportation to and from campus.”Our goal is to provide transportation for residents to and from campus, via bus or more ideally with the new Sac State Tram that is under design, so they will not have to drive or park their cars on campus,” Altier said.

Dean said that the next step toward completion has already been taken with the hiring of local architectural, planning and development services firm Mogavero Notestine Associates. MNA was hired for conceptual site planning in order to show what the site is capable of holding, he said.

“Later this month MNA will provide sample sketches of what could be expected,” Dean said. “We have not yet begun to discuss appearance, style, materials or finishes.”

Dean went on to say that an official project architect will not be hired until a development partner is selected, later this year. He added that a village advisory group is also being developed.

“Tim Dean sent out an e-mail, a while back, to see which faculty and staff members were interested in living in the University Village and who wanted to be a part of the advisory group,” Zuckerman said.

Zuckerman said that he replied to Dean’s e-mail immediately, saying that he was interested in both living in the community and taking part in the advisory group.

“I was told that a total of 25 people were interested in being part of the group and that those names would be passed on to President (Alexander) Gonzalez who would then choose 10 people to participate in planning efforts,” Zuckerman said.

Ashley Evans can be reached at [email protected]