Crews Break Ground On $650M USC Village
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — The University of Southern California has brought out the Trojan Marching Band to beat the drum for a $650 million expansion that school officials say will transform both the Los Angeles campus and the surrounding neighborhood.
KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports the band played at Monday's official groundbreaking for USC Village, which will contain on-campus housing for 2,700 students and numerous other amenities.
Crews Break Ground On $650M USC Village
University President Max Nikias said the 15-acre village offers several amenities - including a grocery store, fitness center, salons, boutiques, and restaurants - open to students and the public. There will also be walkways and plazas and other campus facilities.
"It will look like a medieval collegiate village redefined for the 21st century," said Nikias.
Officials say the 1.2 million square feet of new development is the largest and most ambitious expansion in USC's 134-year history.
President of the student government Andrew Menard said he already has reason to cheer.
"[The] new student space will be unrivaled by any university," Menard said.
The project is slated to be completed by 2017.
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