There’s no question that Grand Valley State University is growing every year, both in enrollment numbers and in campus development. Due to the increasing student population and the desire to live on or close to campus, Rockford Construction Co. is preparing to undertake another necessary and timely project – this time for more housing geared toward students. 

The university has approximately 25,000 students. While some of them commute, the struggle to find housing is very real for many others. Many of us have experienced the often annoying housing selection and application process, where we get up with the sun and sit in front of the computer to wait for the exact moment housing becomes available online. 

The second it becomes available, we hastily pick our preferred space, with no guarantee that we will actually end up there because that is just the beginning. We are thrown back into the lottery until a few weeks later, when we get to apply for the same housing again. If the odds were in our favor, we will receive the “Congratulations, you made it!” message that finally calms our housing uncertainties. 

Although the plan to build 100 new units may not seem like a lot, the creation of additional apartment buildings near the downtown campus is something we applaud because it will help alleviate some of the overcrowded conditions in the current housing available to students. Additionally, this will allow for added housing opportunities for those students choosing to live downtown. 

This is a step in the right direction to make campus a better, more comfortable place to live. It also helps students who want to live in Grand Rapids have more options besides Secchia Hall and Winter Hall, currently the only options for students on the Pew Campus. 

Though students can choose to live elsewhere downtown, such as sharing a house with others, for those who want the proximity and convenience of having another housing option, the Rockford project is expected to begin this spring, pending approval from the city commission, and be ready for students in the fall of 2016.