The University of Michigan is moving forward with clearing and preparing a five-acre site for the next phase of the Central Campus Residential Development. The Board of Regents approved the work during its May 15 meeting.

The multi-phase housing and dining project is an effort to meet a growing demand among first-year undergraduate students for affordable, on-campus housing on Central Campus. The first phase of the project, a 2,300-bed residence hall and 900-seat dining hall, is scheduled to open for students in fall 2026.

The approved site prep, estimated to cost $8 million, will encompass the demolition of 51 residential structures, a mix of houses and apartment complexes located between E. Madison Street and Hill Street as well as S. Fifth Avenue and S. Division Street. The work also entails the careful removal of hazardous materials, tree removal, and disconnecting existing underground and overhead utilities.

The specific details of phase 2 of the Central Campus Residential Development have yet to be finalized and approved.

Renovation planned for Raoul Wallenberg and Arthur Miller homes

The Regents also approved a project to renovate and repurpose two historic homes. Raoul Wallenberg, a 1935 graduate of U-M whose actions as a diplomat saved thousands of lives during the Holocaust, lived in the home at 308 E. Madison St. as a U-M student.

The residence, located in the demolition area of the housing development, will be moved .4 of a mile and placed next to another historic home at 439 S. Division St. This second home is where Arthur Miller, the celebrated playwright and 1938 U-M graduate, lived as a student.

The estimated cost of the project is $8 million. The houses will be connected by a new 845-gross-square-foot addition that will include a shared elevator for accessibility. Both will undergo comprehensive renovations to address deferred maintenance and code compliance issues, and their uses will be determined at a later date.

A basement and foundation will be constructed for the Wallenberg House at the new site this summer. The work is scheduled for completion in fall 2026.