A new building will be opening in September 2024 at the Okanagan College Kelowna Campus. Photo credit: Okanagan College
PENTICTON – Okanagan College Penticton students will soon have access to affordable, on-campus housing for the first time with funding approved for a 101-bed student-housing project.
The building will have 101 student beds in 89 units. The building will be constructed using mass-timber elements while meeting Step 4 of the B.C. Energy Step Code. The total project cost is $24 million with the provincial government providing $23.5 million, and Okanagan College the remaining $500,000. The project is expected to be complete and ready for students fall 2026.
Okanagan College has three projects opening this fall on other campuses. In September 2024, students will be moving into a 216-bed project in Kelowna, a 60-bed project on the Salmon Arm campus and a 100-bed project on the Vernon campus.
“Having an affordable place to live and the supports that come through student housing is going to be a game-changer for learners in the South Okanagan and throughout the Interior who want to attend our Penticton campus,” said Neil Fassina, president, Okanagan College. “This new building will make attending post-secondary programs more possible for more students, whether they are studying and training for careers in health care, trades, science and technology, or business.”
Source: Province of BC News & Business Examiner Staff