OSU Housing Complete

After more than a year of construction, a 77-unit housing project to support students, employees, visiting scientists and others working and learning at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport is open and housing its first tenants.

Harborton Street Housing was created to address the problem of a workforce housing shortage in Newport and the surrounding community. Current vacancy rates in Lincoln County hover below 2%, and that lack of housing has been a constraint to recruiting students and scientists to Hatfield.

Sidney Noble is manager for student and campus services at Hatfield and says the new building helps fill a gap in local housing. “It addresses a critical need for housing on the central Oregon coast,” Noble said. “With a significant housing shortage and high cost of living in Lincoln County, where much of the existing housing stock is aimed at vacationers and short-term stays, this new facility provides a much-needed alternative for students, Newport-based faculty and staff and mission partners.”

The $16.5 million, 34,000-square-foot housing project features 72 studio-style units and five two-bedroom units, and is located off Southeast 40th Street in South Newport, about three-quarters of a mile from the Hatfield campus. Unlike the Corvallis campus, Hatfield’s busiest seasons are spring and summer, when most of the field-based research activities take place. So while current occupancy is fairly low, the residence hall will likely be near capacity during those peak months. Occupancy will vary between those needing short-term housing for brief projects, and those with ongoing work at Hatfield.

“Our first tenants are a mix of Oregon Coast Community College students, predominately in OCCC’s Aquarium Science program, and OSU students taking Hatfield-based courses or contributing to research at the campus,” Noble said. “Most of this initial cohort will be with us from 10 weeks to nine months.” Existing housing on the Hatfield site was limited to around 80 people. Those buildings are aging and within the tsunami zone, meaning they would likely be impacted by a major tsunami event. The new housing project is located on a five-acre parcel outside the tsunami inundation zone, on a site large enough to allow for expansion based on future demand.

This is crucial, as previously Hatfield needed housing for around 100 students per year, and that number has now increased to more than 500. During a ribbon-cutting ceremony in early October, Hatfield’s Interim Director Lisa Ballance said the building was the result of five years of immense effort and dedication. "It provides a beautiful and affordable place for (students and scientists) to stay,” Ballance said. “And it offers that for our many community partners who were a part of this vision, and also struggle with the same challenges."

The new housing will serve a wide range of needs, including upper division and graduate students taking classes or participating in research projects at Hatfield; faculty researchers; instructors and teaching assistants; visiting researchers and other mission partners. The facility offers both long and short-term stays to be able to serve the needs of students and researchers who may only spend a short time at Hatfield or who are undertaking longer projects. Use is not restricted to OSU researchers and students.

Anyone enrolled at or employed in educational programs who is doing research related activities on the Oregon Coast can apply for housing, along with employees at partner agencies including the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others. Bob Cowen, retired director of Hatfield Marine Science Center and associate vice president for marine research and operations, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“This is a great day,” Cowen said. “We’ve been waiting for this one for a while. It means so much to me to be here and see this finished. As challenging as it was, it turned out great.” 

Also in attendance was Rep. David Gomberg, who helped Cowen cut the ribbon and also helped secure state funding to help with the cost of the project.