According to Vice President of Student Affairs, Jim Marchant, the construction of Pitzer College’s Phase II residence halls is more than halfway finished and will be done by the end of June.

“We’re past all the design. We’re about 75 to 80 percent through construction,” Marchant said. “We’re doing a lot of exterior finishes and interior finishes.”

The Phase II residence halls, which are currently being built north of Pitzer’s Atherton Hall, are the second part of Pitzer’s three-part construction project that will take place over 10 to 15 years. Phase I, consisting of Atherton, Pitzer, and Sanborn Halls, was completed in 2007. Once Phase II is complete, the college will be able to house almost 90 percent of Pitzer students, Marchant said. Currently, 80 percent of Pitzer students live on campus.

The Phase II residence halls will house the Intercollegiate Media Studies Department, some classrooms, Pitzer’s study abroad offices, the Pitzer archives, and a high-end demonstration kitchen, in addition to 300 student rooms.

Marchant said Phase III will be built in three to five years, depending on fundraising and the economy. The project will most likely include renovating Mead Hall’s north towers and building new halls where Holden Hall and Mead Hall’s south towers currently stand.

The Phase II residence halls are on track to be LEED Platinum-certified, joining Pomona’s Pomona and Sontag residence halls. Environmentally friendly features will include drought-resistant native planting, gray water reclamation, local materials, and new trees planted around the buildings. 

“Sustainability obviously is important to us, so we’re trying to push the limit in all the features that we’re adding,” Marchant said.

Aidan Lukomnik PZ ’14 lives in the Phase I residence halls, next to the construction site. He said noise has not been an issue this year because the construction is delayed until 9 a.m. to let students sleep. Lukomnik said that he has not heard any complaints this year, although there were complaints last year that the construction blocked the view of the Pitzer outback.

Kyle Gutstadt PZ ’14 lived in the Phase I residence halls as a first-year student and said the construction never kept him awake. 

“They haven’t been telling us much about the plans—whether it’s going to be suite living or doubles or singles,” he said. “But overall, it looks great.” 

Marchant said that he is planning to send an update to the community about the construction soon. The last update was sent in the fall. 

One of the goals of the increased campus living is to bring upperclassmen back onto campus. Marchant said that there is a culture of living off campus at Pitzer, especially compared to some of the other Claremont Colleges.

Gutstadt said he plans to live off campus for part of next year but hopes to live in the Phase II residence halls as a senior.

“I think that there’s value in students living off campus and becoming independent, but I also think that there are some negative effects on the residential community when we lose all the senior leadership,” Marchant said.