WILL SEBERGER/Arizona Daily Wildcat Undeclared sophomore Travis Stock moves a pile of bedding into the Highland Commons residence hall on Thursday. Highland Commons is now fully open after more than two years of construction.

Last week, two new residence halls opened their doors to more than 450 students in the Highland District, the newest residential complex on campus.

Posada San Pedro and Pueblo de la Cienega, located along North Highland Avenue, welcomed 476 students, half of whom are upperclassmen.

The three-story coed dorms complete the trio of residence halls in the Highland District.

"It smells really new," said undeclared sophomore Travis Stock, as he moved into Pueblo de la Cienega, which was completed over the summer.

The $40 million Highland District Housing Project includes El Portal, ResLife headquarters; Highland Market, a deli and convenience store, and three residence halls: Villa del Puente, Pueblo de la Cienga and Posada San Pedro, an honors hall.

Each residence hall in the Highland District has the same layout, with amenities like an interior courtyard, a game room, a grand piano, a T.V. lounge, recreational areas, four study lounges and eight suite-style rooms. Unlike double rooms with community bathrooms, suite-style rooms have four students sharing one private restroom.

Highland Market is slated to open in the district in late September, and will include a coffee bar, deli, bakery and convenient store.

The cost of living in the new residence halls for the academic year is $4,118, a standard price for newer halls. Residence hall rates range from $3,583 to $4,118.

"They are a lot nicer," said Joel Petty, an undeclared sophomore and former resident of Graham/Greenlee. "And you can control the air conditioning (within the room) - that is a big thing."

Kevin Dougherty, hall director of Pueblo de la Cienega, said residents living in the new hall have the unique opportunity of being "trend-setters," because they will be the first to build a community in each hall and will start programs that will continue every year.

Ed Gilhool, hall director of Posada San Pedro, said he hopes to empower staff and students to create an inclusive community in which where students can achieve personal and academic goals.

"The team plans to work very closely with the residents to make the very first community of San Pedro a welcoming and dynamic environment," said Gilhool.

Although the halls of Highland District share the same floor plan, Van Arsdel expects each hall to foster a distinct character.

"One of the neat things about residence halls is that every hall has a different culture, some kind of differentiation in terms of identity," he said. "In a way, that is something the students create."

Residents in the Highland District include freshmen and returning students. Fifty percent of each of the halls is returning students.

Jessica Rose, a liberal arts sophomore, said she opted for dorm life for another year because she likes the close community found in a residence hall that is not available in an apartment.

Pam Obando, associate director of Residence Life, said having half of the halls occupied by returning students is beneficial to freshmen.

"We really like having a mix," said Obando. "(The upperclassmen) get to know and mentor the new students."

Although Residence Life policy permits each hall to have half upperclassmen, most halls do not fill to capacity. According to Residence Life, in the past only honors halls, Yuma and Yavapai, and newer halls, Pima and La Paz, have had 50 percent returning students. The cap was implemented to give freshmen a chance to stay in the newer dorms, Obando said.

"One of the things that is occurring is that newness sells," said Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life. "It's new, never been lived in - people tend to like that idea."

Lindsay McDonald, a pre-physiological sciences freshman, said even though it is her first year, she wanted to live in Posada San Pedro because she heard the positive buzz surrounding the new halls.

Dan Hafner, an undeclared sophomore, said he choose to live in the new residence halls due to their convenient location and fresh appeal.

"Also, the ceiling isn't two feet tall, and there are lights in the hallway," said Hafner, a former resident of Manzanita-Mohave.

Although initially built to replace older residence halls, the purpose of Highland District soon changed to accommodate the increasing student population, Van Arsdel said.

Before the Highland District the newest hall at the UA was Pima, which opened in 2000.

There are no immediate plans to demolish or build any residence halls.