There was always a backup plan for the Ridgewood cottages: Sell them.That's what the University's early investors planned to do if the ambitious venture failed. They probably couldn't imagine that the cottages would last to house over 5,000 students since they were built in 1950.

But now, over 50 years later, there's another plan for the Ridgewood cottages: Tear them down.

As soon as the necessary millions are raised and the Board of Trustees approves the project, the University will do just that: demolish the 106-bed Ridgewood residence quad and replace it with a 300-person apartment-style residence for upperclassmen, according to Director of Residence Life Maggie Balch.

But the biggest question about the project-when construction will begin-still remains.

Though Balch told the Justice she did not know when construction will commence, according to Dan Feldman, the associate vice president of planning, design and construction, the new hall could be complete within three years of the time funds for the project are available and the Board of Trustees gives its approval.

According to Feldman, the University has planned for a total of $20 million in new long-term debt and $15 million in gifts to fund the new housing structure. Feldman would not disclose how much has been raised so far, but said that the "funds would have to be either in hand or pledged before the Board would approve start of the construction."

But Feldman added that construction of the new Ridgewood is a top priority.

"The University's strategic plan for undergraduate housing calls for fully meeting the demand for on-campus housing," Feldman said. The Office of Capital Projects has determined that demand can be met with enough beds for 90 percent of undergraduates on campus, according to the Web site. Currently, only 80 percent of undergraduates reside on campus, according to Senator for the Class of 2007 Joshua Karpoff.

Though current undergraduate enrollment exceeds 2001's target of 3,000 students by at least 185, Balch said such increases will not affect the school's original goal.

However, that goal will be unattainable at least temporarily after the demolition of the Ridgewood cottages and before the completion of its larger replacement.

Balch acknowledged that without Ridgewood's 106 beds, the housing lottery during that period could create problems for upperclassmen, but she said she is committed to finding the best housing solutions once construction on Ridgewood is underway. Depending on the sizes of the other classes, she said, it might be possible to house some juniors and seniors in East Quad or the Castle.

"We can reconfigure things so we can maximize the amount of space" available for students, she said.

Balch met with several students and Feldman over the summer to discuss how the new Ridgewood should be configured.

"They have said they want kitchens," she said, because by junior year, students do not want to be on the meal plan. In the past, the University has not permitted students who do not have ready access to a kitchen to go without a meal plan.

Karpoff hopes the new housing resembles the suite-style living in Ziv Quad, but added that he agreed with Balch that kitchens are important.

"One of the reasons people love living at Ridgewood is because it offers an alternative to the meal plan," he said.

He said students should talk to the Housing Advisory Committee of the Student Union to give their input on the housing plan.

Sam Siegel, a senator for the Class of 2007, suggested that Residence Life distribute a survey to the entire student body in order to obtain input on the project.

He added that the University should "ask a few members of the Board [of Trustees] to attend an open forum where they can hear directly from students the ideas, complaints and suggestions that we all have."

The school's strategic housing plan has been in development since 1999, according to the Office of Capital Projects' Web site. The plan included the building of the $21 million Village, which was completed in August 2003.

Between summer 1999 and spring 2005, the University completed 11 other infrastructure improvement projects which had a total cost of $57 million. Among them was the construction of the $25 million Shapiro Campus Center, the $8 million International Business School Lemberg Academic Center and the $5 million Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex.