FLAGSTAFF, Arizona -- The Arizona Board of Regents met last week at Northern Arizona University, voting on numerous projects and contracts including the proposed University of Arizona Honors Complex.
The proposed honors complex required three separate board measures by the board:
1) A measure allowing the UA to execute a ground lease with American Campus Communities for the construction of a new Honors College that will include housing, parking, dining and a recreational and health center.
The measure was considered essential since transfer of land to the university allows the complex to bypass any City of Tucson zoning regulations it would be subject to under private ownership.
2) Authority for UA to issue bonds to finance the non-housing spaces of the project. While the actual living quarters of the complex will be constructed by ACC, "the UA is responsible for maintaining the academic administrative and dining spaces," according to the board's executive summary.
3) Approval for the UA to acquire a portion of Fremont St. from the City of Tucson. This measure allows the UA to implement its plan for turning the street into a thoroughfare between the living quarters and the academic/dining area.
This project is believed to be highly important to the university’s future. In a July interview, Honors College dean Terry Hunt said that the new complex would "give the college identity; it gives it a sense of place and it brings students, faculty and staff together in terms of proximity."