By JIM BUTLER

As reported Friday in the Rapides Parish Journal, LSUA is closing its golf course in favor of development that officials think more meets needs of students, the university and the community.

The nine-hole, 40-acre course, one of about 100 school-operated courses in the country, will close June 1, officials announced Monday.

That will make way for a multi-unit apartment complex to meet needs of students and personnel.

A release from the school Monday noted there has been a triple-digit wait list for campus housing for about five years.

During that span the school’s enrollment, traditional and online, has grown by leaps and bounds.

The school has entered a strategic partnership with Durand Construction for a 50-year ground lease to develop the apartment complex. It will be privately managed.

There will be 176 two-bedroom units in the complex, housing 352 occupants. No development or construction cost estimate was available.

Partnering with private parties allows the university to avoid direct spending, a key factor in budget considerations.

At expiration of the lease agreement the facility will belong to the university, officials said.

The apartments will be on ground now taken by golf holes 3 and 7, bordered by Garry Tisdale Drive.

Monday’s announcement includes nothing about development between Tisdale and Hwy 71.

An economic feasibility study includes positive attributes for commercial development in that area.