BYU replacing three aging Wymount buildings, students relocating

BYU is relocating residents of three Wymount buildings as plans are underway to replace the aging buildings 2, 3 and 4. The residents were given about two months to relocate to other parts of Brigham Young University's married housing.

BYU student Abigail Haven has lived at Wymount for three years.

A lot of me is heartbroken, because for me, these are sacred buildings. This is sacred ground. This is where, you know, newlyweds first make their home together. This is where we brought my son home for the first time," Haven said.

Todd Hollingshead, media relations manager for University Communications, released a statement regarding the construction.

"The initiative to replace certain buildings in South Wymount Terrace is aimed to improve the living facilities and environment for student families," Hollingshead stated. "The current Wymount Terrace buildings have served our student families well for more than 60 years, but it is time to replace some of the aging structures, beginning with quads 2, 3 and 4."

The residents are required to leave their current apartments by June 1 in order for the demolition to begin on June 2. They received notification of the planned demolition at the end of March.

The residents were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their preferences, including the number of rooms and which BYU married complex was preferred. Residents say that BYU did their best to accommodate their requests.

Anne Christensen, a BYU graduate, spoke about her experiences with moving.

"As far as I know ... if you wanted to move somewhere else, they'd be relocated somewhere else. So they have not abandoned anyone," Christensen said.

The wards and stakes have also rallied to assist Wymount Terrace students in moving furniture and getting to know their new wards.

I think its really cool to see how the ward and the stake itself has really come together cause theyve been planning and getting U-Hauls every Saturday to help everyone move, Christensen said.

One of the lingering questions is how this will affect newly married BYU students and the pricing of the newly built apartments.

"I think the biggest one that it'll affect is the waitlist. It's now long, (and) getting infinitely longer. And theres just less apartments to go around," Haven said.

However, the project will add apartments, allowing more students to live at Wymount Terrace.

Im grateful that more people will get the opportunity to live in BYU married housing, because its been the biggest blessing of our lives," Haven said.

Residents say the community around these apartments is strong. The residents often spend time together in the quad, playing with kids and attending church together.

Ultimately, Hollingshead stated that the university plans to "raze nine of the old buildings to make way for 11 new buildings."

He also released information about the structure of the new apartments.

"The new buildings will be three-story structures featuring two and three-bedroom apartments. We anticipate the construction to take at least two years to complete," Hollingshead stated.

With the upcoming renovations, students anticipate big changes coming to BYU's married housing.