The University of North Florida broke ground Feb. 9 on a $76.9 million Honors Residence Hall and living-learning community that will house more than 500 students and open in fall 2025.
The four-story, 164,579-square-foot residence hall is being built on Osprey Ridge Road along the east side of the campus next to Osprey Fountains.
It is UNF’s first housing expansion project since Osprey Fountains opened in 2009 and will bring the number of beds available to students to about 4,300.
“This new residence hall aligns with UNF’s strategic growth and our commitment to create environments that support student success,” UNF President Moez Limayem said in a news release.
The university’s strategic plan, approved last month by the Florida Board of Governors, includes plans to increase enrollment to 25,000 students over five years.
The release said while that growth would come from students in various stages of their education, the university wants to provide additional housing opportunities for the growing number of students wanting to live on campus.
Living-learning communities are designed to support students’ development and learning through engagement with other students with similar academic goals or shared interests.
“The intention is to promote an environment where students have common interests to build a strong academic and social support system in a convenient location,” Jeff Chamberlain, dean of the Hicks Honors College, said in the release.
The facility comprises 521 beds, designated study areas, lounge spaces, social and entertainment areas and a central kitchenette on each floor.
The main floor amenities include a larger kitchen with a future cooking demonstration feature, offices, larger gathering and study spaces, mail, laundry, two resident adviser apartments and an outside food vendor.
Outdoor amenities include basketball and sand volleyball courts, green space and a boardwalk connector to the campus center.
UNF said other development projects planned include the renovation of the Coggin College of Business, which will be merged with adjacent Building 10, and the renovation of the Brooks College of Health.