WesternU breaks ground on student housing project
Western University of Health Sciences held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, June 19, 2013 for a new student housing project at Third and Linden streets in Pomona, Calif.
The project is a mixed-use, 173,000-square-foot graduate student housing community that is scheduled to be completed by August 2014. The four-story building will include student-focused apartment-type residential quarters, as well as about 10,000 square feet of administrative space to be occupied by WesternU.
The 3.6-acre project involved the collaboration of the city of Pomona, the Vehicle Parking District, Provident Resources Group as project manager, Hanover Pacific as project developer, along with the support of WesternU.
“Every time we get together, members of the city leadership and those in the community, it’s a very exciting opportunity for us to see what we can do,” said WesternU President Philip Pumerantz, PhD. “Everyone here, who has become a part of this tradition of growth and development, you too are very important. Be proud of what has taken place. A lot of it is the result of your involvement.”
The ultimate beneficiary of this project will be students, who will have a lovely living environment that provides both camaraderie and quiet places to study, said Debra Lockwood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Provident Resources Group.
“What you can rely on from Provident is accountability, integrity and transparency,” she said. “You’ll hear lots about the project as we go along. We’re working with Student Affairs and administration to make certain you are informed about the project.”
The project is the culmination of a lot of work from many different people and parties, including the Pomona City Council, Planning Commission and Vehicle Parking District, said Robert Kim, executive managing director of Hanover Pacific.
“This project is a $45 million investment in the downtown area of Pomona and it is also a testament to the strength of WesternU and where it’s going,” Kim said. “Not only is it going be an aesthetically beautiful building, it’s going to adhere to the principles of sustainable development through design and landscaping. We have 100 percent storm water treatment onsite so we wouldn’t impact the existing storm water system. We have reflective roofs on the building so that energy consumption would be reduced. With all those in place we hope that this building not only becomes an integral part of the university but really a good example for the community in terms of development in the next phase of the growth of downtown Pomona.”
Dr. Pumerantz put in a lot of hard work building WesternU, and now it’s one of the stars of Pomona, said Pomona Mayor Elliott Rothman.
“I can say when I go to different places throughout the United States, we have a medical school –veterinarians, doctors, pharmacists – all coming from Pomona,” he said. “That is a source of pride for our city.”
