FRC on list to potentially receive planning grant for student housing
Student housing has long been a problem for Feather River College, but some help may be on the horizon.
The college learned this week that it made the list of projects recommended to be approved for a planning grant to pursue more housing. FRC is asking for a $349,000 planning grant from the state Department of Finance to be used for a new, on-campus student housing complex.
FRC president Dr. Kevin Trutna said the news comes at a particularly critical time. “We know the Dixie Fire has had a significant impact on available housing in Plumas County,” Trutna said. “Our proposal made it clear that FRC needed to add additional housing so that students would not compete with local residents for affordable housing.”
While it’s good news, this is just the first of many steps before any construction could begin on the potential 126-bed facility, that would include a mix of studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom family-style apartments.
According to Trutna, the next steps would include:
- Passage of the 2022-23 state budget with the projects included
- Development of a design team for working drawings and site analysis with architects
- Submittal of a proposal for construction funding in the 2023-24 state budget
- Construction details
Trutna said that it in the application, FRC officials stressed the following:
– Low rental inventory in Plumas County
– Lack of available low- to moderate-priced housing for students
– Impact of Dixie Fire removing approximately 10 percent of housing units within driving distance of campus
– Ten-year history of full campus dormitories, expansion student housing (Meadows and Pines apartments), and still remain above capacity
– Annual wait list of 30 to 70 students for student housing (even before Dixie Fire)
While this funding would provide money for planning, the annual operations costs would be provided when the Student Housing Grant is submitted in year two of the process.