Plans for the construction of a new 686,000 square foot residence hall on the Tucson campus of the University of Arizona are now moving forward with the blessing of the state’s Board of Regents.
The project will go up on a 2.5-acre site on the northwest corner of East Speedway Boulevard and North Campbell Avenue and, upon completion, will provide enough housing space for up to 1,200 students.
The facility, which will top out at 19 floors, will also include dining space and student support services offices.
The site is currently the home of the Palm Shadows Apartments, a two-story complex built in 1962 that will be demolished to make way for the new student housing project.
Animating the project is the theory that students, especially freshmen, tend to do better academically if they live on or near a school’s campus.
In a statement, University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella remarked that the “benefits to undergraduate students living on campus as a component of their learning experience are clear from our own experience and that nationwide.”
According to Board of Regents documents the requirement for living on campus as of the fall of this year will apply to “most first-time, full-time students, regardless of admission pathway, with exceptions for students living within 30 miles of campus or those facing specific circumstances or hardships.”
As of the fall of 2025, the school had a total enrollment of just over 54,000 students, with nearly 8,000 of that number living on campus.
Work on the project, which may ultimately cost upwards of $250 million, will begin later this year, with a completion date in time for the fall 2028 semester.
February 26, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of University of Arizona Student Housing Project
