Catholic University and the OPUS East Construction Group of Rockville, Md., signed a multimillion-dollar contract in late November for the construction of a planned seven-story residence hall that is slated for completion by fall 2009 to accommodate an increase in undergraduate enrollment.

The site for the new residence hall, expected to house about 400 students, is located in the northeast corner of the university’s main campus on the west side of John McCormack Road, just south of Taylor Street.

If Catholic University enrollment trends continue as projected over the next few years, the university expects to build additional residential space in the same area, allowing CUA to close three older residence buildings on the part of its campus south of Michigan Avenue.

The final completion date of the project is contingent on zoning approval and building permits from the District of Columbia. The project is presently scheduled to go before the District’s Zoning Commission for a hearing Jan. 22, 2007. CUA expects to fund the project with financing from a D.C. revenue bond issuance.

The design of the building will reflect architectural themes from CUA’s signature “campus gothic” buildings along Michigan Avenue as well as the university’s law school and nearby Millennium residence halls located on John McCormack Road.

“Catholic University’s student life staff has worked hard and included lots of student input to develop an exciting and innovative program for the new residence hall,” said Craig Parker, CUA's general counsel and associate vice president, who is also a member of the planning committee for the residence hall project. “The exterior design by Opus East, capturing themes from Catholic’s historic buildings, and the building’s landscaping will transform the northeast corner of the campus.”

The new residence hall will include a landscaped plaza, on-campus parking and enhanced security for the McCormack Road corridor. Inside, the building will feature state-of-the-art suites.

In addition to Parker, the planning committee includes Julie I. Englund, vice president for finance and administration, treasurer; Susan D. Pervi, vice president for student life; Carl Petchik, executive director of facilities operations; Sheri Hardison, controller; Cathy R. Wood, associate vice president for finance and budget; Ralph O. Scherini, associate vice president for business services; Parker; and outside consultants Oleksa Breslawec, of Sebesta Blomberg, which provides engineering, technical and business services; and Eric Kruse, of the real estate investment firm Pegasus Group.

Other consultants working on the project include two CUA alumni: zoning attorney Allison Prince, J.D. 1983, a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in Washington, D.C., and construction attorney David Blake, B.S. Arch. 1991, J.D. 1994, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in the District of Columbia.

The construction project has been planned in consultation with a variety of community groups in the Brookland neighborhood including advisory neighborhood commissions 5A and 5C and the Michigan Park Citizens Association. 

The project will be the first in CUA’s 119-year history to follow the streamlined “design-build” process, which enables a shorter period of construction than the more traditional “design-bid-build” method.

The selection of OPUS was the result of a highly competitive process that included more than 30 firms. OPUS was selected on the basis of its master planning experience and concepts for the northeast corner of the CUA campus, best integration of the university’s programming requirements, and implementation schedule and cost.