New UC Davis student housing opens with 1,500 beds. Here’s what the neighborhood offers

UC Davis opened its new 19-acre Orchard Park student housing neighborhood Wednesday in the northwest corner of its campus with 1,500 beds in apartments, school officials said.

Students will begin moving in Sept. 5, according to UC Davis spokeswoman Julia Ann Easley. The opening comes as part of a larger, $330 million construction program after an agreement to provide more campus housing that was reached among the college, the city of Davis and Yolo County.

“It is also an example of how a public-private partnership can help keep rents affordable,” Easley said.

Orchard Park houses 11 four-story residential buildings and two community centers with exercise, study and meeting spaces. It has 189 two-bedroom apartments for students with families and 1,100-bed lease offers for single students in studio, two-bedroom or four-bedroom apartments.

It features a children’s play area and bike and pedestrian paths.

Orchard Park replaces a 200-apartment complex of the same name that closed in 2015, according to school officials. It had been in operation for 51 years. Committees advising Orchard Park’s new construction were made up of several graduate students because of this, Easley said.

This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 2:31 PM.