WVU dormitory could close in May

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —  The West Virginia University Board of Governors will consider closing a student housing facility.

The Jan. 27 board agenda includes review of and potential action to close Arnold Hall and Apartments at the end of the semester in May.

“With this move, we do think we can accommodate our incoming freshman class for next year. Obviously we do hope it’s bigger and we continue to increase enrollment and increase retention,” said Rob Alsop, vice president for legal, government and entrepreneurial engagement.

The board could amend leases and agreements with West Virginia Campus Housing, LLC and Downtown Campus Parking Associates, LLC to be able to locate freshmen student in a portion of the south tower of University Place as a residence hall.  It’s currently a housing option for upperclassmen.

If the BOG opts for upgrading technology at University Place it could be used for student housing for the 2017 fall semester.

University Place was a $70 million public-private partnership development.

“I don’t think it’s been any secret that we’ve had some occupancy challenges at University Place over the first couple of years of the public-private partnership,” Alsop said. “That’s all upperclassman housing at University Place.  We’re not really reducing the number of residence halls, primarily freshmen beds, we’re actually filling an occupancy challenge we’ve had at University Place.”

In 2012, WVU TODAY reported the (public-private) initiative “fulfills parent and student requests for more modern, private living space close to campus, and faculty and staff requests for transitional family housing”.

“We always envisioned at some point that once these public-privates had gotten up and running and generating some revenues that would we have the money to refurbish facilities which would mean they would come offline to some extent moving forward.”

Should board members approve closing Arnold Hall, Alsop said it will likely not be put back in service as a dorm.

“This isn’t something where we plan on taking off online for a year and bringing it back on.  It would be more of a permanent closure.  But, we’ll have to see what board says and does on that point.”

University property is tax exempt. Alsop said dorm rates, whether at Arnold or at University Place, will remain consistent.

“We are part of the state that does not play property taxes. So, we have not paid taxes on our dorms as part of our housing component. Therefore, we don’t have to have a higher dorm rate to pass on.”

The public-private partnerships have been criticized as a way to skirt paying property taxes.  The developments include commercial and retail businesses inside that had not been paying property taxes because they were operating on University property.  That changed in October.

“We have agreed for the things like Applebee’s and the commercial space, we will collect the property taxes that would have otherwise been paid on those properties.”

The “voluntary contribution” to Monongalia County was announced at an Aug. 25, 2016, county commission meeting.

The board meets on that Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Rhododendron Room of the Mountainlair.





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