UT to Begin Phase II of Residence Hall Complex Construction in May

The University of Tampa will start construction of the next and final phase of the Palm Apartments residence hall complex this May, with a completion date of August 2017.

The existing two wings of ResCom that face Brevard Avenue and Spaulding Drive will be demolished after May Commencement, and two new wings of Palm Apartments will be constructed in their place. The new wings will join with the existing Palm Apartments building that was completed in January 2015. The complex is located toward the center of campus, between Brevard Hall and the Thomas Parking Garage.

The overall footprint will be similar to the original ResCom configuration, with a courtyard within the three wings. Once the entire project is completed, the Palm Apartments complex will house approximately 600 students, compared to ResCom’s original 234 total occupancy.

The new wings will be similar in style to the current Palm Apartments, and will reflect the latest in university campus amenities. Each room will be suite-style with a common living room, kitchen, bathroom and four single rooms. All rooms will be cable and network ready.

"Palm Apartments has proven to be a popular residence hall,” said Ronald L. Vaughn, UT president. “And Phase II will enlarge our residential campus and provide more students with an exemplary on-campus living situation that will augment their academic and co-curricular experiences.”

Palm Apartments in its entirety represents the eighth new residence hall built under the leadership of Pres. Vaughn. The campus’ physical growth comes as a result of significant enrollment expansion that has quadrupled over the last 19 years to 8,037 students. The University has invested approximately $460 million in new construction since 1997.

Currently about 65 percent of full-time UT students live in campus housing.

Crossroads Construction has been named to build this phase of the residence hall.