GGC student housing groundbreaking

LAWRENCEVILLE - Georgia Gwinnett College moved a step closer to on-campus student housing Tuesday.

Ground was broken for the first student housing complex at the Lawrenceville school.

The first dorm is expected to be ready for students in the fall of 2010. College officials hope the apartment-style residence hall will help transform the three-year-old institution from a commuter campus to a more traditional atmosphere.

The first phase will open with about 1,000 beds. Eventually, the $102 million complex will house 2,500 students.

Georgia Gwinnett opened its doors in 2006 with just 100 students. The college expects nearly 3,000 students to enroll this fall.

It is the state's first public four-year college in more than a century.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)