The California Board of Trustees recently signed off on Sacramento State’s plan to build a new on-campus residence hall, said CSU Media Relations Specialist Paul Browning.

Housing and Residential Life Director Cynthia Cockrill said the original proposal was sent to the chancellor’s office and the Housing Proposal Review Committee after a 2005 study revealed there was an immediate need for an additional 2,600 beds and affordable on-campus housing.

Browning said the board approved the proposal at its May 16 meeting.

Cockrill said construction on the 209,000 square foot structure will begin in July of 2007. She said the hall will be built on the Foley Hall’s current foundation.

“Foley (Hall) is being demolished this summer,” Cockrill said. “The programs that are using Foley Hall as office space (this semester) have found new accommodations in a variety of areas around campus.”

These programs include University Transportation and Parking Services, the Archeological Research Center and the PRIDE Center, among others.

Recent press releases put construction costs, which combines the cost of demolition and building, at an estimated $55 million.

Cockrill said the, four-story, hall is expected to open for the fall 2009 semester. She said units will consist of either five, single occupancy bedrooms or two, double occupancy bedrooms.

All units will have a living room and food preparation area, which will include all the basic amenities of a kitchen, minus a stove.

Cockrill said there will be study spaces on every floor with a programming space on the first floor for larger gatherings.

The hall is also expected to have auxiliary space for police and academic programs, as well as laundry rooms, mail rooms, retail areas and a printing lab where students can work on daily homework and prepare for finals.

“This transition fills an unmet need for older student populations who prefer the convenience and amenities offered by living on campus,” Cockrill said.

Cockrill said students costs and monthly payments are unknown at the current time.

Junior mathematics major Valerie Peterson said the project sounds great as long as the final price is reasonable.

“I think the idea of dorms that are more like on-campus apartments is great,” Peterson said. ” I have one more year left here?.I’m considering coming back for (graduate) school, so living in the new hall might be a possibility for my second year. It’s definitely something I would consider if the (units) were reasonably priced.”

Sophomore criminal justice major Will Davis said he thinks the addition will help the campus achieve its goal of becoming a destination campus.

“As long as the hall looks nice, is well-built and doesn’t drive up student fees it should definitely make the campus more appealing to incoming freshmen and transfer students,” Davis said.