SARASOTA – As many as 200 students will be able to live on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus for the first time in the fall of 2024.
“This will transform our campus, from a commuter campus to a 24/7 residence hall, giving our students that experience to live and learn on campus, be together, build a sense of community, were just so excited,” said Associate Vice President of University Advancement at USF, Marrie Neumer.
In the coming months, USF will break ground on a multi-story, 100,000-square-foot housing AND student center along Seagate Drive just west of the iconic Crosley Campus Center.
“It will be a 4 to 5 story residence hall which will have around 200 beds, so we expect to house at least 200 people and we will also have a student center on the first floor that will have a dining hall, a bookstore a student health center and areas for our students to congregate and live and learn together,” said Neumer.
Student housing, will be comprised of 70 double-occupancy bedrooms and 60 single-occupancy bedrooms in one-bedroom, two-bedroom and four-bedroom apartment-style configurations, with shared bathrooms, living spaces and kitchens or kitchenettes.
“Available for different kinds of families, students just entering college to doctoral students who come here with their families,” said Neumer.
In a recent study, a USF consultant reported that for many students, living on campus would be more affordable than many off-campus options
“We have a very high demand, especially since housing in Sarasota and Manatee Counties is definitely rising so we want to be able to provide affordable housing for our students,” said Neumer.
This fall, more students than ever before are living on USF’s campuses in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
“It’s going to bring more liveliness to the campus in terms of just having students here, spending more time here and becoming more engaged with our programming and just staying in contact with people on campus,” said USF Sarasota-Manatee Student, Paola-Marie Mennino.
Construction of the new building is expected to cost approximately $39 million.
USF will contribute $16.5 million, with the remaining funding coming from the sale of up to $30 million in bonds through the USF Financing Corp.