Thiel College has been approved for a $3.5 million loan to build a new residence hall on its Greenville campus and in a separate project is renovating houses along College Avenue to serve as off-campus student housing.

Thiel needed more housing because of a larger student body expected next fall and a need for more modern accommodations, according to Rich Rugen, Thiel's vice president of administrative services.

The college requires all resident students to live on campus or within a certain radius of the college.

Mercer County Industrial Development Authority approved the loan Friday.

Rugen said the two-story building is set for completion this fall and will house 100 students in two wings.

The 34,764-square-foot building will be built on the western side of the campus at 1 Roy Johnson Drive. It replaces two fraternity houses constructed in the 1960s. The V-shaped wings of the residence hall will be connected to a common building which will have a lounge, computer room, laundry room, storage area and a center for fraternity and sorority events. Also, the building will contain a center for teaching English as a second language for students.

A public hearing on the loan, which awaits approval from Mercer County commissioners, will be held 10 a.m. March 28 at the courthouse. Final approval rests with the state.

Also, the college has contracted with S&W Holdings Inc. to lease four properties and possibly a fifth on College Avenue and renovate them for upperclassmen housing in the fall.

Thursday, Greenville Borough Council introduced a zoning amendment that would convert those residential properties into student housing. Council plans to vote on the amendment Tuesday.

The ordinance says student housing is supervised and maintained by the college and must be within 1,500 feet of campus.

Residents will be required to park on campus and be subject to the same rules as those who live on campus, Rugen said.