WSU Tri-Cities receives 3 bids for on-campus housing

The Richland branch campus of Washington State University could soon have on-campus housing to offer students.

Three companies recently submitted bids on the project, though university officials are keeping details, including the names of the developers, under wraps.

However, RiverWalk LLC, which proposed last year to work with the university and the Port of Benton on building a three-story dorm, confirmed Tuesday that it bid again on the project.

RiverWalk developer Dick Hoch said the university’s approach to student housing now differs from its last attempt when his firm was the sole bidder. This time instead of seeking full proposals for a facility, WSU wants to identify a developer to work with on the design.

WSU plans to build on about 13 acres on the northern end of its campus near the entrance at Crimson Way and University Drive.

It’s not known when the student housing would be built and ready for students to move in, but university officials want to have all the negotiations and paperwork for the project finished when classes start in the fall, said documents.

Documents on the latest request for developers don’t include how many students the housing would accommodate or whether the facility would be a dorm or more like apartments. The branch campus has about 1,600 students.

It provides some details about what it should include, such as integrated living and learning community areas and technology, such as smart cards for access.

Dining space, small study areas and lounge space with cable television and wireless internet access should be among the amenities, said the documents.

Cost to students should be comparable to what other regional universities offer, the documents said.

A developer was supposed to have been selected by Feb. 26 according to the university’s initial timeline.

But the plan now calls for a committee of staff, students, administrators from the Pullman and Richland campuses and community members to hear presentations from each bidder in the coming weeks before making a recommendation to the university, said John Mancinelli, chief of staff to H. Keith Moo-Young, chancellor for the Tri-City campus.

Mancinelli declined to provide further details or identify the bidders, saying the university is in “the middle of process.”

“We are pleased that three qualified vendors have submitted proposals,” he said.

WSU Tri-Cities administrators have said for years they wanted to improve the quality of student life on the campus as part of efforts to grow the university.

Students have said that needs to include housing, which is currently available in a limited form through a partnership with a north Richland apartment complex. Having something closer to or even on campus was an ultimate goal.

The university and port began working together in late 2014 on having a private developer build apartments or a dormitory on port land just north of the WSU campus.

RiverWalk emerged as the sole bidder for the project and proposed a three-story building to house up to 160 students.

The university abruptly walked away from a deal with Riverwalk in October, citing financial incompatibility.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 7:35 PM with the headline "WSU Tri-Cities receives 3 bids for on-campus housing."