MTC no more: Raintree reverting back to student housing | Provo News

PROVO — After serving as a portion of the West Missionary Training Center campus for nearly two years, the Raintree Commons apartment complex will be restored as apartments for eager students to lease.

In a statement issued by Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he said, "The Church no longer requires the additional space at the Raintree apartments, which was used to increase the MTC capacity following President Monson's announcement about the change in age for missionaries. We are in the process of returning the property to its pre-lease state."

The church will be transitioning the complex from a teaching and housing facility back to apartments during the next several months. About 300 tenants will be able to move in for Brigham Young University's summer term, about the end of June. The rest of the complex will be open for rental in time for the fall semester, about the middle of August.

Shelly Freeman, president of SGFusionLiving, the managing company of Raintree, said missionaries haven’t been in the complex for awhile, but deconstruction has been a daunting task. The facilities weren't just used for housing; missionaries could do basically everything they needed to in the apartment complex, including eating, exercising and sending mail.

“The only reason they needed to leave was for their devotionals,” Freeman said.

Crews will be working between now and August to strip rooms of desks and whiteboards and replace them with beds and couches. Workers will also be bringing down large domed structures, once used as cafeterias and gyms, to make way for more parking.

Freeman said leasing has only been open for a few weeks, but the complex has already received a positive response.

“We’ve had a really great reception so far,” Freeman said. “The leasing is starting a little bit slower as opposed to if we had students in there before.”

Freeman said in addition to the restructuring of the apartments, tenants won’t be able to move in immediately because the LDS Church still technically owns the complex. The church’s lease ends Aug. 22, the same date tenants will be permitted to move in for the fall semester. It’s only with special permission that some tenants can move in early.

“It’s been fun. We’ve had a few of our previous residents stop by, and a few of them are planning on coming back,” Freeman said. “It’s definitely moving, but slower than it would.”

The apartment complex has been a part of the MTC West since May 2013, after the LDS Church saw a surge in incoming missionaries thanks to an announced change in the missionary age requirement. The announcement detailed that LDS men could go on their missions at age 18, women at age 19.

To obtain a lease at the apartments, Freeman encouraged prospective residents to apply online or to visit the office in person.