Snow delays student housing at WSU Tri-Cities

Blame it on the snow.

Students at Washington State University Tri-Cities will have to wait another year before moving into college housing.

Chancellor Keith Moo-Young said the 162-bed facility won’t start until fall 2018, after snow stopped the required archeological inspection of the site.

The Washington State Department of Archeology and Historical Preservation required the university to inspect the land in north Richland for any item of historical or cultural significance.

“I think it’s the best opportunity for us because one of the things we want to do is ensure a quality product, not rush into it,” Moo-Young told the WSU Board of Regents during its Friday meeting in Richland. “There are some really challenging hoops.”

The university is required to dig 96 holes about the size of a 5-gallon bucket on the 15-acre parcel near the university’s Consolidated Information Center building. The soil is examined for any Native American artifacts.

“Right now, we’re 85 percent complete and we had to stop due to weather, and we haven’t restarted,” he said. “It’s really delayed the progress of the project.”

Once the sampling is finished, it takes another 30 to 60 days to get the results. After receiving the results, they can start digging.

“We have a new schedule and (the developers) are looking to submit their permits to the city this week,” he said.

University officials want to make sure they respect the process and follow all of the guidelines before constructing the housing, Jeff Dennison, the campus’ director of marking and communications.

The university and its partner, Pullman-based Corporate Pointe Developers, broke ground on the first phase of the project in October.

Floor plans range from one to four bedrooms, and the university is accepting applications through its website.

The project is being completed in seven phases for a total of about 700 beds.

About 10,000 square feet of the first phase is set aside for potential commercial development, Moo-Young said

The ability for students to live on campus is important to the university’s plans to reach all of the students living between Yakima and Walla Walla, Moo-Young said.

“We believe that’s the recruiting radius for students, especially transfer students from Walla Walla and Yakima Valley community colleges,” he said. “Many of the students that we’ve spoken to at both community colleges have all said, ‘The drive is too much.’ ”

The surrounding community may be able to use it as well.

Companies such as Battelle and Energy Northwest would be able to use the housing for the hundreds of interns they recruit from across the country.

“The Tri-Cities as a community has a 3 percent vacancy rate for apartments, so there are a lot of staying at folks homes that occurs,” Moo-Young said.

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Snow delays student housing at WSU Tri-Cities."