SHIPPENSBURG, PA-Philadelphia-based student housing developer Campus Apartments LLC will break ground on the first phase of a $200 million student housing project at Shippensburg University this week, GlobeSt.com has learned exclusively. The first phase of the construction will involve the development of three new on-campus buildings that will accommodate 924 students, a project estimated at $70 million alone.

Being the largest construction project in the school’s history, Dan Bernstein, executive vice president and chief investment officer at Campus Apartments, tells GlobeSt.com that the entire three-phase project is part of the University’s long-range plan to overhaul its existing campus housing options and provide more modern facilities for students. It is slated for completion in summer 2015, with the first phase expected to be ready for occupancy by January 2013. “Shippensburg realized that they have great academic programs, and in order to be competitive with its peers and to attract the highest caliber students, they need to upgrade their facilities on campus,” he says. A ceremonial groundbreaking will take place on Friday, November 18 at 2:30 p.m. here.

The first phase will include two residential facilities on the north side of the campus and one on the south side. The facilities will include semi-suite and full-suite floor plans, multipurpose programming areas and study and social lounges. In addition, one of the northside buildings will also include a 13,000-square-foot wellness center, while the soutshside building will include a new home for the University’s Honors program.