Construction on new studio apartments at the intersection of Weyburn Avenue and Weyburn Place finished in May, opening up more housing options for single graduate students. The project cost about $95 million, below the proposed $120 million.
The new residential complex – Phase II of Weyburn Terrace – consists of two residential buildings and one social commons, including conference rooms and a pool table.
As the tenants settle into their new apartments – the bulk of students moved in this month – the university will continue to monitor demand for each kind of apartment to determine future housing plans.
Monthly rentals average $1,300 per apartment, according to the UCLA Housing website. Students must pay extra for parking. All 500 studio units in the Phase II apartments are now completely occupied.
Planning for Phase II began in spring 2009 and construction started in fall 2010.
The completion of Paseo and Commons, which together comprise Phase II, brings the total number of university graduate apartments to just over 3,000, including more than 1,100 units for graduate students with families.
In order to bring residents together, Weyburn Terrace has a large multipurpose hall for special events and a lounge.
Some students noted that the quiet atmosphere of the apartments was well-suited to the needs of graduate students.
“Maybe because it’s all (graduate) students, everyone is busy studying all the time, so it’s a good thing to be away from all the undergrad partying,” said Kelsey Broderick, a graduate student in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.
Steve Situ, a resident at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, picked Weyburn Terrace as his first choice because of its proximity to the hospital.
“It’s a seven-minute walk to work, with the shuttle bus right outside my door,” Situ said.
Proximity, affordability and privacy are three factors students look for in housing, said Peter Angelis, assistant vice chancellor of Housing and Hospitality Services at UCLA.
“(Graduate) students want space to themselves, to study quietly, so we went with single studio apartments,” Angelis said.
Living with graduate students from all the different departments is an experience that is hard to find elsewhere, especially in private apartments, Broderick said.
Law student Khadya El Ayoubi, who came from the Netherlands, found the cost acceptable, considering the perks that come with the apartment.
“It’s located in the heart of Westwood, really quiet, really convenient so, although it can always be cheaper, I’m really happy with it,” she said.