Office of Internal Communications
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November 23, 2004 The seeds have been planted, and soon one of the University of Houston’s most popular student apartment complexes will grow to meet the continuing demand for campus housing. The UH System Board of Regents approved a plan to expand Cullen Oaks Apartments at 4600 Cullen Boulevard during its Nov. 18 meeting. “This project is a response to the need for additional campus housing,” said Elwyn Lee, UHS vice chancellor and UH vice president for Student Affairs. “We strongly feel that this addition will enhance campus life.” The expansion project is budgeted at $16,746,740. It will add 354 beds in 186 furnished apartment units, 256 parking spaces, laundry facilities, a recreation room and a student lounge. One of the chief concerns in expanding the apartments is providing sufficient parking for residents. To best utilize campus space, a two-story parking facility will be constructed on the north side of Cullen Oaks above an existing parking lot. American Campus Communities (ACC), a national student-housing provider, is Cullen Oaks’ lessee. The company holds a long-term lease for the land on which Cullen Oaks stands, and manages the property. ACC will hire the architect and construction contractor for the project and supervision will be provided by Student Affairs and Plant Operations, Planning and Construction. The project will be submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for final approval when it meets on Dec. 10 at UH. Construction is scheduled to begin on Dec. 15 and should be completed by Aug. 1, 2005, so that students could move in to the new apartments for the fall semester. Mike Emery |