As UTSA plans to ramp up to 45,000 students in the coming decade, the university has big plans to expand on campus dorms, eating facilities, retail, and other features on both the main and downtown campuses, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Three new residence halls are planning, including a dorm specifically for honors students, are the main improvements planned at UTSA, according to Vice President and provost Kimberly Andrews Espy.
“Retention rates for UTSA students living on campus are consistently higher than for those who live off campus, especially first-generation students, who make up nearly half of our undergraduate population,” Espy said.
“Providing more students the opportunity to live on campus-closer to classes, laboratories, libraries, advisors, fellow students and campus amenities-enables greater access to academic and support programs that enhance student success.”
Residence hall construction is set to begin next fall and the dorms should be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2021.
The Residential Honors College is the first step in UTSA’s efforts to align its Honors College with the top-reviewed honors colleges in the nation. The new facility will provide a dedicated building for honors students to live, learn and collaborate.
In addition to student residence rooms, it will include connected classrooms, study rooms, a maker space, dining and fitness facilities, and event space.
Also in the works is a plan for a new neighborhood called Roadrunner Village.
Located on UTSA Blvd near Ximenes Ave, on twenty acres owned by the university, Roadrunner Village will include apartments, retail, casual dining, a grocery store, and entertainment venues.
UTSA studnets have long complained about being forced to go to the I-10 DeZavala strip to find restaurants, bars, and night spots, and say driving back to campus from those locations leads to drunk driving and other issues.