A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday for the new student housing on the Mercy College campus in Dobbs Ferry.

The building will include a 100,000-square-foot dormitory, a fitness center and a Starbucks.

School officials say there is currently one student housing building on campus. It houses 300 students. The new facility will house 350 students.

Some local union members of the building trades of Westchester and Putnam County say they have contributed countless hours to the college and the project is a slap in their face. They say the college brought in a contractor from Duchess County who has been notoriously non-union.

College officials say they aren't involved in the contractor's practices.