Calvin Theological Seminary, a separate entity from Calvin University, will be introducing a new housing complex, named 3300 Apartments, in order to address the growing needs of international students and married students with families. The new apartments will offer larger spaces and more bedrooms, with students expected to move in within the next month. 

According to Jul Medenblik, President of Calvin Seminary, the seminary bought land on the corner of Burton Street and Raybrook Avenue, where the new housing is located, about twenty years ago. Before the new housing complex came into the picture, seminary students were living in two-bedroom apartments on 28th Street, with limited space for students with families, along with safety, convenience, and affordability concerns — but these concerns will soon end as students begin to move in.

The seminary was able to sell the land on 28th Street while still leasing out the apartments to seminary students, and that money, along with funds the seminary already had, paid for half of the new housing complex, a 20.4 million dollar project. With regards to the rest of the money for the new housing, Medenblik stated, “the church and our supportive community, that’s where the [rest of the] money is coming from.”

Tim Bruinsma, Housing Manager for the seminary, said, “Distance was a pretty key factor because … The majority of our students are international students that are living over there, and they [don’t] have cars, so transportation was an issue.” Medenblik explained that 40% of the seminary students are international. 

Calvin Seminary has housing in Calvin’s KE Apartments, but only 20 are three-bedroom apartments, noted Bruinsma, although many of the students have a spouse and children, and need bigger apartments.  

In the new apartments, there will be 49 units: 23 three-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, and 7 one-bedroom, according to Jack Phillips, Facilities Manager at Calvin Seminary. Having an increased number of three-bedroom apartments appeals to the larger population of seminary students with families, as was shared by Phillips, Bruinsma and Medenblik. 

Phillips highlighted that staff involved with the construction of the new apartments met with students before construction started to see what features they wanted the apartments to have. Phillips stated, “ a lot of them said [they wanted] no carpet in the apartments … better lighting, they wanted recycling … And then community space in the basement. [They wanted] their own washers and dryers … and dishwashers.” Each apartment has vinyl plank flooring, bright LED lights, a washer and dryer, and a dishwasher, Phillips told Chimes. The new apartments, Phillips shared, also have one trash dumpster and one recycling dumpster.

The new housing complex is a short walk from the seminary building, eliminating transportation concerns and improving convenience. According to Medenblik, having housing in such close proximity to campus helps make students feel connected to the seminary and brings a sense of safety to families. Medenblik stated, “We all need to be mindful that many of these international students come with a sense of wanting to be safe for themselves and for their children.” 

Bruinsma told Chimes, regarding apartment pricing, “We try to do 70% of the market rates.” So while a one-bedroom apartment in Grand Rapids might cost around $1,300/month according to current market rates, a one-bedroom apartment in the new housing complex will cost $900/month, in order to appeal to international students with limited financial abilities. This price will fluctuate according to the market, but will stay at 70% of the market rate no matter what, Bruinsma and Medenblik emphasized. 

The new complex will have many areas for the community, according to Medenblik. Medenblik stated, “There’s a playground area, so it’s got a real central [area] for the children. A couple gas grills are always going to be available.” There are indoor community areas as well for the winter season. Medenblik explained that these community spaces will help families feel more connected to other families. There will also be an increased amount of storage in the new apartments, described by Bruinsma and Medenblik, with storage for at least 200 bikes and larger individual storage spaces for each student. 

According to Phillips, the new apartments were designed to meet accessibility and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. This was done by having two elevators, so that if one breaks down, there will be another one that can be used. There is one ADA apartment on the first floor, and there are multiple access points into the building to create convenience for entering the building as soon as possible when walking from the seminary. 

Sustainability and design features

The new housing complex has many sustainability features, according to Phillips. When designing the building, the designers did everything they could to make it as energy-efficient as possible. Medenblik noted, “with new housing, [it] allows you to make sure you’re doing things in not only a good stewardship way, cost-effective, but I think for environmental factors,” a sentiment shared by Bruinsma.

The building has a centralized HVAC loop — a large-scale system that uses a central plant to condition water from 65 to 75 degrees to provide heating or cooling to each individual apartment — which is more energy efficient, explained Phillips. Phillips told Chimes that the building is “full of insulation,” which not only helps regulate the temperature within the building, but also keeps heat from escaping during the winter, ultimately saving energy and reducing costs. 

Phillips also stated that instead of giving each apartment its own water unit, they put centralized boilers and tanks in the basement, causing the apartments to share “all the efficiencies of two boilers instead of 46 or 47 individual water units.” 

The natural gas in the building will be limited to the basement, Phillips noted, meaning there will be no natural gas pipes throughout the building, which is energy efficient and safer, and eliminates maintenance that would be needed for potential pipe leaks. 

Phillips added that the roof of the apartment complex is light gray, which means that sunlight will be reflected off the building more than it will be absorbed, saving heating costs. 

Set to open within the next month, the 3300 Apartments will provide Calvin Seminary students — particularly international families — with safer and more affordable housing near campus, marking a significant step toward a more connected and supportive seminary community.