UA Housing Push goes High-Rise: 250M 19-Story Dorm Proposed near Main Gate

UA Housing
The Arizona Board of Regents approved plans for a future residence hall located on the NWC East Speedway Blvd and North Campbell Avenue. Scheduled to open in time for the fall 2028 semester, the new facility will house more than 1,200 students and support the U of A’s expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

TUCSON, AZ (Feb. 24, 2026) — The University of Arizona is moving forward with a roughly $250 million, 19-story residence hall planned for the northwest corner of East Speedway Boulevard and North Campbell Avenue, a major infill redevelopment that will add more than 1,200 student beds along with dining, amenities, and student-support space, according to university materials.

The project structure is designed to keep construction debt off the university’s balance sheet. Under the plan outlined in published documents, Mortenson Development would acquire the 2.49-acre former Palm Shadows Apartments site at 1815 E Speedway Blvd., then sell it to the nonprofit Collegiate Housing Foundation (CHF) at fair market value once CHF secures tax-exempt bond financing. CHF would then convey the land to the university and independently finance, develop, construct, and operate the residence hall under a 50-year ground lease with UA. The bond financing is expected to be repaid over approximately 40 years through residence hall-related fees, with UA having no debt obligation.

UA said the Arizona Board of Regents approved plans for the new residence hall, with an opening targeted in time for the Fall 2028 semester. The development also supports the university’s housing policy shift: UA expects first-year students to live on campus beginning Fall 2026, with exceptions including students living within 30 miles of campus or other hardship circumstances.

University leadership framed the project as a student-success initiative.

“Living on campus is a proven predictor of student success,” UA President Suresh Garimella said in the university announcement, adding that the project helps meet on-campus housing goals and “invests in our students.” Regent Fred DuVal also cited the importance of expanding the on-campus residential experience as the university pursues “ambitious goals.”

UA noted the building will align with student demand for more suite-style units, provide programming and support services, and replace more than 600 residential beds that are expected to be phased out elsewhere on campus.

CHF, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1996, describes its mission as helping colleges and universities develop student housing using third-party nonprofit financing. CHF reports it has been involved in 70 student housing facilities totaling over 47,000 beds across 26 states, with total project costs exceeding $4.6 billion.

From a real estate and development standpoint, the dorm tower continues the long-running evolution of the Speedway/Campbell corner, previously tied to high-rise mixed-use and student-housing concepts, into one of the most closely watched vertical infill sites near the university.