As anyone who has ever lived in a triple room in the residence halls knows, on-campus housing is becoming increasingly cramped.

In January 2007, after poring over student surveys and meeting with focus groups and student organizations, Housing and Food Services (HFS) began drawing up a plan for the future of residence halls and rates at the UW. One year later, HFS presented the Student Housing Strategic Master Plan to the Residence Hall Student Association (RHSA) with the hope of gaining approval.

Rob Lubin, assistant director of facilities operations at HFS, and Ann Gigli, an HFS administrator, helped develop and present the plan.

“We’ve had this set of buildings that we’ve been housing students in for 80 years,” Lubin said. “They’re at a point where they need major renovations. That’s coupled with the issue of overcrowding and the large demand for on-campus housing.”

The first stage of the plan is to renovate all existing residence halls. The exception is Mercer Hall, which is to be demolished once new buildings are completed.

The ultimate goal is to build three residence halls and two apartment-style complexes, netting 2,365 new beds.

Unfortunately, new residence halls for future Huskies bring increased rates for students.

“Many residents have concerns over the cost of the whole plan, and the effect it will have on rates in the future,” RHSA president Alex Cutler said. “Affordability is at the top of the list of concerns for both HFS and residents.”

The plan maps out the future of student housing until 2020 and aims to fund the $750 million cost of the project.

To move ahead with construction, HFS is proposing a 2 percent rate increase each year in addition to annual rate increases. These rate increases will take effect in autumn 2008.

When a renovated residence hall is re-opened, for the first livable year the rent will increase 20 percent on top of the annual increase.

“What the [rate change] reflects is the difference between the existing housing stock, currently un-renovated, and the new amenities, space and features of the building as it re-opens,” Gigli said.

Despite the staggering numbers, the UW is still expected to stay below the rate increases of its peers in the Pac-10, such as UCLA and Stanford.

“Over the past nine years, our average rate increases has been 5.2 percent. Other schools are much higher,” Lubin said. “The closest to UW is a 7.9 percent average increase.”

At the RHSA meeting, scheduled for Feb. 7, it will be up to the students to decide whether to endorse the proposal.

“It seems residents have had very few issues with the rate changes this year,” Cutler said. “HFS has done an excellent job of explaining the reasons for the [rate] increase. The response has been very positive, and I have been very impressed by the vested interest the residents have in the planning of things that won’t happen until we are long gone.”

So far, students have found few items to fault. HFS plans to renovate using sustainable materials and an eco-friendly mindset to reduce wasted energy. An emphasis on technology and community will also be placed on future halls.

“I’m really impressed by the current group of students,” Lubin said. “Similar to their predecessors adding money to their rents to build things like Stevens Court, they’re doing the same for future generations.”

Despite the plans being presented to students, there is still much to be finalized. After the RHSA endorsement vote, HFS will seek approval from the Board of Regents.

“We’ve got a lot of planning to do before we’re picking out the furniture and the drapes,” Gigli said.

[Reach reporter Kyle Frischkorn at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]