GROVE CITY — For the first time this decade, Grove City College will have no major building projects on its short-term planning list once the new Colonial Hall Apartments are finished.

The apartment building, located at the lower end of campus at the entrance to downtown, is on schedule to be completed in late July, said Roger Carothers, the college's director of facilities construction. Work still continues on the exterior and interior.

Students are expected to begin moving in the third week of August.

The building, which will house 208 senior students, will allow the college to boost its enrollment to as many as 2,500 students.

Major improvements made to the campus during the past five years, including construction of the Hall of Arts and Letters and expansion of the fine arts building in 2002 and the student union in 2004, have allowed for more students. On-campus housing was the last missing piece.

The $12 million Colonial Hall Apartments will return students to the same general geographical location at which the college was founded. They are a welcome addition downtown.

"All the reactions have been positive. People really appreciate the appearance of the building,"Carothers said.

Fitting the style of most of the other buildings on campus, the building's facade is mostly red brick.

"We're excited to have them. They're such a nice architectural addition to the landscape," said Melinda Steigerwald, a community member involved in the Olde Town Grove City revitalization initiative. The initiative will oversee marketing and overall design of the downtown district.

Steigerwald said the students housed at the apartments would also be welcomed as potential customers to downtown businesses.

"Grove City College students have always been a welcome addition to our community," she said.

The college's other major facilities upgrade, installing artificial turf at its football stadium, is set for completion later this summer. Carothers said that project would be finished before football practice begins.

After that, major construction on campus will come to a rest, at least for the near future. Carothers is not aware of any large projects on the drawing board.

"Ithink we're going to catch our breath after completing a number of projects," he said.