Just as 721 students were moving into the new Chapman Grand apartments in Anaheim in August, the wood framing for the new residence hall under construction at the corner of Palm Avenue and Cypress Street in Old Towne Orange began to rise from its foundation.

Next fall, about 400 students will call the new Villa Park Orchards residential village at that site home. The historic 1918 Villa Park Orchards Association Packinghouse next door is being adapted with a restored exterior, and two auxiliary sheds were saved and moved about 800 feet to accommodate the location of the new residence hall.

The projects represent Chapman’s dedicated efforts to place more students in University housing because of community concerns about student rentals in the City of Orange. Chapman also purchased the West Chapman Avenue complex now known as Panther Village in 2013. The Chapman Grand apartments in Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle were purchased and retrofitted by the University earlier this year. That complex has a capacity of 900 but is limited to 750 students in its first year.

Construction on the Villa Park Orchards residential village is about 25 percent complete. The building will have brick, metal and stucco façades that blend with the historic industrial character of the neighborhood and are reminiscent of Chapman’s nearby Crean Hall, the former Western Cordage Building built in 1923.

To view the Villa Park Orchards project construction live, including angles that can’t be seen from the street, neighbors can visit the Campus Planning section of the University’s website.