This semester, Clemson University has moved forward with the Douthit Hills expansion project, a part of the 2025 fiscal year budget for housing expansion.
When the 2026-2027 school year starts in the fall, nearly 50% of first year students will be allowed to bring cars to campus following the University’s new parking restrictions.
In the Douthit Hills East residential area, parking spaces have been removed and reallocated to accommodate the development.
“Unfortunately due to the constraints of the site we have displaced approximately 100 spaces during construction,” Robbie Phillips, a portfolio team manager, told the Tiger in an interview.
When the project is completed in the summer of 2027, Phillips added that there will be no loss of student parking.
Construction is on track for August move-in, with the crews currently in the site work phase, preparing the foundations. The vertical walls are expected to start going up around March 1, according to Phillips.
The Douthit Hills expansion project will also feature a new faculty apartment as part of the Clemson Home’s Faculty-in-Residence program.
In addition to being a part of the FIR program, University officials believe the new residential space will have educational benefits, including a work collaboration space and classrooms.
“We would be eager to engage with an academic partner to utilize this space as an enhancement for a Living-learning community, however, a specific partner has not yet been identified,” Leasa Evinger, assistant vice president for residential experience, told The Tiger.
The Clemson Board of Trustees approved the administration’s $2.1 billion balanced budget for FY25 on July 18, 2024. The approved residential facilities listed included the Douthit Hills expansion and the completion of the Bryan Mall and Lever Hall renovation in phase II, according to Clemson News.
The FY25 budget also included the design and construction of a six-level parking facility. Located at Williamson Road to the east and Perimeter Road to the south, around 1,200 faculty spaces will be made available.
Additionally, the board approved a budget of $285.5 million for the construction of the College of Veterinary Medicine complex.
This past academic year, the University welcomed “approximately 5,100 first-year students and 1,800 transfer students to its main campus,” Greenville Online reports.
To address the increasing student population, Clemson has carried out several residence and facility projects. The FY25 budget projects aim to represent continued investments in Clemson Elevate priorities.
