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Award-winning national architecture and planning firm KTGY Group, Inc. and private developer, Hanover Pacific, LLC, announce the ground breaking of a new, mixed-use, 173,000-square-foot graduate student housing community, adjacent to the campus of Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU), a private, non-profit graduate school for health professions. The four-story mixed-use development located in downtown Pomona, Calif., will provide 306 beds along with approximately 10,000 square feet to be used by WesternU as faculty offices. The 3.6-acre project is a complex public/private partnership with the City of Pomona, the Vehicle Parking District, and Hanover Pacific, along with the support of WesternU. The project is slated to be completed by fall of 2014.
Designed to LEED Silver specifications, the new graduate student living community includes a combination of single- and double-occupancy bedrooms with living space and a kitchen. The majority of the 202 units are two-bedroom, two-bath apartments and will be located in a single building with controlled access. The students will benefit from the high level of amenities such as a fitness center, community pool, media room and valet services.
"Rather than a 'rec center,' we have created a large hotel-style lobby designed to function like a coffee shop, where students can hang out or study," said David Senden, a principal with Irvine-based KTGY Group, Inc. and the lead designer on the project. "This is a different approach from a rec center, which is seldom used by the grad students. This space allows grad students, who are in highly rigorous academic programs, to socialize or to study by themselves in a public environment. This connection to others within the lobby area can alleviate the sense of isolation that is typical in rigorous graduate programs.
“Developing student housing in infill, urban locations is a very complex endeavor, especially in California. The project not only addresses a need for student housing, it will also be the lynch pin for the continued revitalization of downtown Pomona. Consequently, the project was the result of cooperation between many constituents and the relationship between the City of Pomona and Hanover Pacific was vital to the project. The project will also help promote the further integration of the university with its larger neighborhood community," said Robert Y. Kim, executive managing director of Irvine-based Hanover Pacific, LLC.
According to Kim, Hanover Pacific typically approaches projects as an outsourced housing solution for campuses. The main challenge for the University on this project was that there was no available land on campus to construct housing, which is typical of many infill campuses. Hanover Pacific was able to not only secure land, via public/private partnership, but procure a very strategic parcel of land as it sits nearly “on-campus” and adjacent to one of the most significant academic buildings on campus, the newly built 180,000-square-foot Health Education Center, which was part of WesternU’s $100 million campus expansion project. As a result, Hanover Pacific was able to address several needs on campus: student housing need, more academic space needs, and acquisition of a critical piece of land.
"In addition to addressing current needs, we believe that the project will be a valuable asset to the University long-term, while also expanding the campus via a partnership with Hanover Pacific," Kim said. "Also, the mixed-use concept of the building promotes Hanover Pacific’s live/learn approach to student housing where housing is combined with academic components to create not only a closer identification to the campus but also provide a more dynamic campus life experience."
Kim added,"Lastly, KTGY achieved the efficiencies needed while creating a very beautiful building that not only will integrate well with the campus and the downtown but possibly help set the design standard for future development on campus and the downtown."
"This project is important to the University as well as the community," said Senden. "With the addition of 306 new residents to the downtown, it will strengthen the downtown business district businesses while also creating a true pedestrian-oriented downtown. It also underscores the rising demand for graduate and professional health education."
About Hanover Pacific
Hanover Pacific (HP) develops unique student housing and faculty/staff housing communities in mostly urban areas through innovation, initiative and synergy. HP works in partnership with campuses to develop multi-discipline approaches to help solve many of the housing challenges faced today by colleges and universities. HP’s dynamic approach to housing development brings strong expertise in land acquisition, development, construction and finance specific to higher education.
About Western University of Health Sciences
Founded in 1977, Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) is a nonprofit, graduate university for the health professions. The university campus includes nine major buildings located on 22 acres in downtown Pomona, Calif. WesternU is one of the largest graduate schools for the health professions in California. Alumni rank among the very top leaders in health care and medicine throughout the country and the world. All of the health care programs have professional accreditations, and the university is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
About KTGY Group
Celebrating 21 years in business, KTGY Group, Inc. (ktgy.com), Architecture and Planning, is a national award-winning firm providing comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, market trends and financial performance. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons, Va.
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