In a roundtable discussion with The Hurricane on Dec. 3, the administration revealed that Gables Village is not the last step in UM’s Housing Facilities Strategic Plan. The plan includes a new dining hall, possible changes to Eaton and potential renovations to Whitten LC.
Plans to demolish Mahoney-Pearson and replace it with the new residential complex, Gables Village, became public in November. Construction for Gables Village will begin Aug. 2026.
The project is projected to be completed by Aug. 2028. But closing Mahoney-Pearson will still result in a 206-bed net loss despite the imminent opening of the new Centennial towers.
“When you are making progress as a University, there is a price we all have to pay. None of us have a Free Card,” said Richard Sobaram, associate vice president of student affairs and housing strategic initiatives. “Somebody paid a price before we got here, and now that we are here, we are doing our part for the future generation of students that are coming.”
For some, the price could be the feeling of “losing” on housing opportunities.
Lakeside used to be the most coveted housing for sophomores. Once completed, Gables Village will take over its role as sophomore housing. Lakeside will become housing primarily for juniors and seniors.
“The ‘winners’ are the ones that got Lakeside as sophomores and Lakeside as juniors,” said Patricia Whitely, senior vice president of student affairs and alumni engagement. “The freshmen that went to Centennial and then got Mahoney as sophomores will feel like they lost something. But they were never intended to get that.”
To make sure Gables Village is still an attractive option for sophomores, the layout will be a “suit style” for independent living.
Once Gables Village is completed, UM is setting its sights on improving Eaton.
“Eaton is on the horizon, we know that. It’s prime real estate,” said Whitely.
Whether Eaton will be replaced or renovated has not been determined. But the Housing and Residential Life offices will be moved to Gables Village to “capture the new space.”
UM’s future construction plans also revealed possible renovations for the Whitten Learning Center.
Joel Samuels, who became Provost on Aug. 11, is focused on improving the “classroom experience,” Brumley said. Whitten LC is part of that discussion.
Whitely also said that UM wants to be strategically aware of land opportunities. She mentioned that the land across the street next to the Bagel Emporium could soon hold 800 more beds, and UM needs to consider surrounding housing opportunities and enrollment statistics in all construction decisions.
Expanding UM’s campus across the street could make campus life “harder to navigate and manage.”
As new off-campus housing continues to be built in convenient locations, UM will have to rethink if more beds are needed on-campus. The housing plan is far from finished.
Plans for Gables Village include renovating dining areas.
The new dining hall will be built on the first floor of Gables Village, under the suites. Mahoney-Pearson Dining Hall will remain in operation until it opens in Jan. 2029.
“There will never be a situation where students don’t have a dining hall in that area open and functioning,” said Jessica Brumley, vice president of facilities operations and planning.
To accommodate the 2,000 residents living in Centennial Village and Eaton, UM plans to add more seating to the Centennial dining hall. The green area looking out towards the Shallala Student Center could be replaced with 110 outdoor seating spaces.
Alongside additional seating, Residential Assistants who were previously in Mahoney-Pearson could be moved to Centennial Village Phase Two. During recruitment, RAs are not guaranteed a place in the same building. So returning RAs could end up on the other side of campus.
First-year Fellows only work in freshman housing, so they will be moved entirely to Centennial Village.
Large changes to UM’s campus like this one require funding, and it remains unclear what this means for tuition or housing costs.
“Housing is on its own bottom,” said Whitely. “Housing supports housing.”
The budget for projects like Gables Village comes from the housing costs already included in students’ tuition. Whitely compared the costs to a mortgage.
No information has been released on the expected cost of construction. Once the project is officially announced, it will be available on the Student Affairs New Student Housing page.
The expected cost of living is also unknown. Currently, on-campus housing can range from $5,590 for a double at Eaton to $14,020 for an apartment at Lakeside.
UM expects to remain competitive with the market in the area by comparing costs to off-campus housing like Lifetime and Standard.
“If I’m the parent of a student and I can get a better rate at Thesis across the street, that’s what I’m going to do,” said Sobaram.
With this reality in mind, UM will also offer support to those students who cannot find a spot on campus with off-campus housing fairs and assistance through the waitlist procedures.
Thesis Hotel across the street will provide transitional housing until students can find permanent solutions. The details of this initiative have not been revealed yet.
Plans for Gables Village are designed to appeal to sophomore students beyond price.
“Most students want single rooms when they are sophomores,” Sobaram said
Gables Village will offer four-person suites to accommodate this.
60% will have four single rooms, two bathrooms, two sinks outside the bathroom and a common room without a kitchen or laundry. The other 40% will have the same layout but with two double rooms.
Planning for Gables Village focused on aligning the project with UM’s sustainability goals. Effective AC methods, energy-efficient glass for windows and landscaping with native plants that need minimal watering are some of the measures.
It is unclear when all phases of the project will be completed. UM officials want students to think of the future instead of being frustrated with how long it may take.
“These things take time,” said Whitely. “There are a lot of pieces of the puzzle going back from 2012 through now to 2032.”