The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees Wednesday unanimously approved moving forward with the construction of a new South Campus Residence Hall, which comes with a $215 million price tag.
The residence hall – which is expected to be open for occupancy in the fall of 2024 – will have 657 beds and a new 500-seat dining hall. The money to pay for the project will come from three separate bonding sources, the school said.
UConn officials said the new residence hall will include open and private lounges, common space, a game room, laundry facilities, bicycle storage, seminar rooms, meeting rooms, and multipurpose rooms.
The university said the new residence hall will create much-needed swing space for the university’s housing rehabilitation and replacement program and address a shortage in on-campus, suite-style housing. Each suite in the new residence hall will have two bedrooms and one bathroom.
UConn houses about 70% of its undergraduate students on campus each year, one of the highest on-campus residency rates in the nation, the school said.
UConn Board of Trustees Chairperson Dan Toscano said this “is the beginning of an overhaul of our housing, which is probably decades overdue. It is actually threatening our competitiveness as a flagship university.”
