The first steps have been taken toward creating more student housing at Thompson Rivers University.
The city has approved a development application to build a 4-story, 80-unit dorm along McGill.
Once completed, the new dorm will provide living space for 148 students on campus, with most rooms having two beds.
Development Services Manager Marvin Kwiatkowski says the new dorm won’t have balconies, but will have room for picnic tables and a grassy area for students to use.
“There are other amenities within the building, such as a games room, a movie room, as well as a study room.”
Once finished sometime next year, this will increase the number of student dorm spaces to 639 at TRU.
Kwiatkowski says this is the first of three new dorms TRU plans to build to replace the temporary student living space near University drive.
“The intent is: This gets developed, and that temporary housing will disappear, hopefully in the next year or so.”
However, Mayor Ken Christian is less-than-convinced of that.
“As the need increases and housing affordability in the private sector near the University increases, and gets more expensive, I really wonder whether they [TRU] would be motivated to take that temporary facility apart,” said Christian. “I guess that remains to be seen.”
Once all three dorms are finished, it’s expected Thompson Rivers University will be able to house close to a thousand students in dorms.