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Posted: Friday, June 22nd, 2012 7:24 PM HST

UH Hilo breaks ground for University Village housing project

By Ken Hupp - 67AM KPUA News

A groundbreaking ceremony was held today for the University of Hawai`i at Hilo's University Village Phase I. The project, located on 33 acres fronting the University's main entrance on Kawili Street, will feature approximately 300 student housing units in apartments and suite-style residence halls. The new units are the first to be built on campus since 1989, and are being financed by a $32 million appropriation of G.O. and Revenue Bonds approved by the legislature. UH Hilo currently has just 600 housing units on campus serving an enrollment in excess of 4,100. Chancellor Don Straney said what students learn in the classroom is important. But much of what they learn is learned outside the classroom and is equally important. “In the residence halls we’re constructing here today, we’re increasing the amount of space where UH Hilo can help prepare a generation of students to know how to care for themselves, how to get along with others they didn’t grow up with, and how to be members of a productive community,” Straney said. Phase I will be housed in a 105,500 square-foot complex occupying approximately five acres. The building will feature a trio of three-story residential wings comprised of two-bedroom units housing 302 students and a one-story Resident Life common area that interlocks with two exterior courtyards. Other amenities will include a new parking lot and bike storage for residents. A trio of students addressed the gathering, including senior Joshua Arakki-Kwee who said the new housing would bring in a lot of new students, and believes an expansion in enrollment will lead to an expansion of opportunities. “Hopefully, with the increase in students there will be an increase in programs and courses offered,” Arakki-Kwee said. The development was planned and designed by Mitsunaga and Associates, Inc., (MAI) of Honolulu. Albert C. Kobayashi, Inc. has been selected as the general contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed in August, 2013. Governor Neil Abercrombie said the project represents the beginning of UH Hilo’s future as a major player in the Asia Pacific Region. “I am certain that in the 21st century, in the Asia Pacific Region, that the University of Hawai`i at Hilo is going to become a central focus for the educational dreams of people throughout the Asia Pacific Region,” Abercrombie said. “This is going to be an international point of educational excellence that I’m absolutely confident Hilo will not only provide, but that Hilo will thrive in.” Completion of Phase I will lay the groundwork for Phase II, a shared vision to develop a campus-related commercial center. This initiative, planned and developed by the private sector, will create the ambience of a college town that will complement both the University and Hilo community while creating economic activity that affords opportunities for small businesses as well as workforce development. An estimated 200 people attended the groundbreaking which also included UH President M.R.C. Greenwood, Big Island legislators, Mayor Billy Kenoi and members of the County Council