Only one of the 26 campuses within the City University of New York system has residence halls on campus.

The College of Staten Island will soon become the second.

The project will cost an estimated $70 million; construction is expected to begin at the end of this year.

Angelo Aponte, vice president of finance and administration at CSI, said the halls would have between 700 and 1200 suites, making it convenient for students who currently have to travel long distances to reach the campus.

"We're excited about the project because it changes the dynamics of the community," Aponte said. "There are a number of students living far away from home, and we'll also be recruiting those who live in the borough because the majority of the students want to live on their own."

The proposal to build dorms was first pitched in 2004 during a town hall meeting at CSI. According to Aponte, the school then hired a consulting firm that specializes in housing on college campuses and a survey was conducted in which over 1,000 students said that they would want to rent rooms. Last spring, the administration and CUNY officials began to research the proposal and put the wheels in motion.