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UA looking long-term with expansion
Changes to campus include new residence halls, a new medical school, rec center expansions, connections to downtown, and renovations
By: Amber Gallegos
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: News
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The changes to campus range from renovations and additions to completely new spaces and all reflect the university's anticipation of its growth to come.
In the spring 2008 semester, the UA had just over 35,000 part-time and full-time students. The latest Arizona University System Annual Report estimated the number of students enrolled at all three Arizona public universities would grow from 116,848 students in the fall 2005 semester to 181,000 students by 2020.
The UA currently has plans for more residence halls on East Sixth Street, a new medical school, expansions to the Student Recreation Center and renovations to Centennial Hall.
The future new additions to the UA campus are just part of the ongoing expansion that will continue in the years to come, as the UA already has plans underway to extend some of its major attractions downtown.
The UA Science Center and Arizona State Museum will both be housed together downtown to form a cultural campus as part of Tucson's Rio Nuevo downtown revitalization project. The two facilities will share resources and services over a space of more than eight acres. Scheduled to open in 2011, the move will mark the first step for the UA becoming more connected.
Helping to ease the transition will be the modern streetcar, another part of the Rio Nuevo project. The streetcar will run from Congress Street downtown, with a stop near the new UA Science Center and Arizona State Museum, through the UA campus to Campbell Avenue near University Medical School Center. The modern streetcar is also scheduled to be operational by 2011.
Another step in expanding the UA to downtown would be to establish student housing both downtown and along the route of the modern streetcar.
"All along the route, we've been trying to get developers to seriously consider building houses," said Joel D. Valdez, senior vice president for UA Business Affairs.
While the UA would like more options for student housing, a new Tucson citywide ordinance may restrict the construction that would be done by the private sector to provide that student housing.
The Neighborhood Preservation Zone ordinance, passed June 10, restricts construction in the historic neighborhoods surrounding the UA, requiring residential developments to be built architecturally compatible with residences in the immediate surroundings.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
TK
posted 7/03/08 @ 7:19 PM PST
Here's an idea. How about a new math building? It's about damn time.
Robt Pecharich, SR
posted 7/03/08 @ 10:32 PM PST
I am a owner of a house in one of the neighborhood surrounding the UofA. Preservation of the architectural integrity of those neiborhoods is pointless, as long as most owners treat their properties as slum tenaments, making as much money as they can off of UofA students with rent charges, but no money ever spent on upkeep and maintenance. (Continued…)
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posted 7/04/08 @ 9:03 AM PST
We've seen the tremendous growth by the community colleges and this is also probably partially in response to that. But if this means more kids are going to college it's a good thing. (Continued…)
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