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From Question to Campus: How a Rural Community College Built the Case for Student Housing

By Nathan Woods, AIA, NCARB

August 11, 2025
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Arial View of York County Community College Campus

Student housing decisions can shape enrollment, retention, and community for decades—but, the first step isn’t designing a building, it’s asking the right questions.

As campuses nationwide wrestle with questions around enrollment, retention, and student belonging, the role of on campus housing has come into sharper focus than ever. A recent collaboration with a rural community college offers a powerful example of how a structured, comprehensive process can guide transformational student housing solutions.
Arial View of York County Community College Campus

Starting With the Right Question

Before any blueprint or floor plan, we asked: Do we need housing at all?

That question led to another: Who would live there—and why would they choose it?

Addressing these questions head on shaped the college’s strategy from start to finish.

Demand Insights: Listening First

Together with the college’s leadership—including finance, student affairs, and academic strategy—we launched a campuswide housing survey, reaching thousands of students and achieving a strong response rate.

Key takeaways:

  • A significant share of off campus students expressed interest in living on campus
  • A full waitlist from a short term lodging pilot program
  • A detailed analysis of local rental market competition

These findings confirmed there was measurable, unmet demand—not just for beds, but for community.
Chart of student housing survey responses

                  Housing for a Purpose

This isn’t about building more dorms.

For many rural areas, demographic shifts bring urgent workforce challenges: for every worker who retires, fewer are entering the workforce. By creating a living learning environment, the college could help retain students where they study—and ultimately strengthen the region’s talent pipeline.

                  A Student Driven Design Response

Students made their preferences clear:

Single occupancy units were strongly favored.

Apartments were more popular than semi suites or suites.

Privacy and flexible living were important—but within a supportive, social environment.
Chart of student housing survey responses

Housing isn’t just a place to sleep—it’s a space to live, connect, and succeed.

Planning with Purpose

The site posed real constraints: environmental features, zoning limits, and sensitivity to neighboring properties. But constraints plus strategy led to opportunity:

  • Multiple small buildings to create a sense of neighborhood
  • A cottage style layout to foster smaller communities
  • Scalability to adapt for future needs, including potential workforce housing
  • Placement near existing campus amenities for convenience
  • Preservation of natural areas while maximizing buildable land
  • A strong sense of arrival and identity for residents
  • A phased plan to support growth without overbuilding

This approach ensured the project would not only fit the site—it would fit the institution’s long term vision, setting the stage for a feasibility study that would test not just if the project could be built, but how it could thrive.

Feasibility That Fits

A successful housing project isn’t just about what students want—it has to make sense for the institution. Our approach balances student demand, operational realities, and long term sustainability.

We look at:

  • How rental rates align with market expectations and student affordability
  • Projected occupancy modeled conservatively
  • Phasing and scalability to match growth over time
  • Contingencies for the unexpected—both during construction and throughout the building’s life cycle

By integrating these considerations early, the college could move forward with confidence, knowing the project was not only desirable but also financially responsible.

Outcomes That Matter

From strategy to concept, the college chose:

  • A plan that’s needed, affordable, and designed with students in mind
  • A community focused layout—not a dorm, but a place to stay and belong
  • An approach that aligns mission with facility, giving students place, purpose, and possibility
Community cottage concept exterior renderings Community cottage concept interior layout
Community cottage concept exterior renderings Community cottage concept interior layout

If you’re dealing with similar questions, reach out. We’d be happy to explore them with you and help you build the case—before you build the building. Contact us to start a conversation.

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