Congressman Andrews and Rutgers Bring New Graduate Student Housing to Camden

Camden, NJ – On Monday, Congressman Andrews joined Rutgers University faculty, students, and state and local officials to break ground on a new graduate student housing facility that will bring over 250 construction jobs and 350 student residents to Camden’s University district.  Through Andrews’s efforts, this project remained on schedule to begin this past Monday, and it will be completed in August 2012, in time for Rutgers to welcome the first group of students to the new building.

This new facility, located at Fourth and Cooper Streets, addresses the housing shortage for graduate students looking to reside near the Camden campus.  The majority of the 102 units will be configured as three- or four- bedroom apartments, and will include bathrooms, kitchens, and living areas.  Once completed, this new building will also include 7,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor, student gathering spaces, a fitness center, a mail room, a business center with study space, and a Green roof deck that will be accessible from the residential tower.  Green roofs reduce energy costs with natural insulation, create peaceful retreats, and absorb storm water, lessening the need for expensive drainage systems.  Wireless access will also be offered throughout the facility. 

“We’re getting an influx of new young residents studying and working in Camden, which will spur companies to invest in the City and build new restaurants, shops, or a movie theater,” said Rep. Andrews. “This building, and the people it will bring to Camden, will transform the downtown area and be a key factor in the revitalization of the City.”

This building will be the first new housing at Rutgers-Camden since the Rutgers-Camden Tower opened in 1989.  The Rutgers-Camden residential complex currently houses 520 graduate and undergraduate students. Rutgers plans to grow its enrollment to over 7,000 students with 2,000 students living on or near campus.  This new building brings Rutgers halfway to its goal.

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