Carleton is seeking proposals from private industry to finance, design, build, operate, and own a new residence on campus, according to a listing on the public sector tender database Merx.
The residence would be located adjacent to Leeds as per the campus master plan, according to vice-president (university services) Ed Kane.
The expression of interest posted to Merx states Carleton would be willing to lease the 1.15-acre site to a respondent able to “finance, design, construct, own, as well as manage this student residence in a manner that benefits Carleton.”
The university would like to see the proposed 400-500 bed residence offer suite and apartment style rooms and cater to upper-year students, Kane said.
There is currently a waiting list to get into residence of just over 600 students, with slightly more upper than first-years, and that number is expected to increase, he said.
“We see the need of a residence within the next three to four years as our enrollment grows,” Kane said. “If we wish to open a new residence in 2016, we have time to examine this option.”
Travis Chace, a first-year Carleton student from Calgary, said he spent considerable time on the residence waitlist earlier this summer and another student residence is needed.
“Being on campus in my first year was tremendously important to me,” Chace said.
Troy Joseph, a contract instructor in Carleton’s department of economics, said public-private collaborations have been increasing in popularity.
“It will take time for the university community to adjust to the concept of a private residence, since it’s countercultural, but the merits will eventually be seen to outweigh the costs,” he said.
He said Canada’s first electronic toll route—the 407—is an example of such an arrangement.
Joseph said they allow the public sector to complete large projects while putting little money down.
“They keep the lion’s share of spending off the government debt books, while fulfilling citizen needs,” he said.
Joseph said there may also be downsides to a privately-run residence on campus.
Private enterprise maximizes profits by cutting services and increasing revenue, in this case rental costs, he said.
Kane said it is unlikely a bidder on the residence offer would want to see the university control the amount of rent they could charge.
The University of Toronto, Ryerson University, and Trent University have all moved forward with private residence proposals of their own in recent years, Kane said.
The current deadline to submit interest to the university is Sept. 5.
