The University of Tampa is pushing ahead with plans for an 11-story student housing tower that could house about 840 students, and the proposal is now headed for a key test at Tampa City Council on March 12, 2026. If council members sign off, the high-rise would rank among the largest single-campus housing additions in downtown Tampa in recent years, according to a campus rendering circulated by the school.
As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, the 11-story building is designed for roughly 840 beds, and the university has already shared renderings with city staff ahead of the council hearing. The Times notes the project is on the March 12 agenda, where officials will decide whether the design can move forward to permitting and more detailed site planning.
Why the university says it needs more beds
UTampa has been growing fast, and administrators are pointing to that enrollment surge as the main reason for needing more on-campus housing. The university announced a record total enrollment of about 11,500 students for the 2025–26 academic year, a benchmark school leaders have repeatedly cited when making the case for additional residence halls. In that announcement, the university framed new beds as a way to improve student life while easing some of the strain on the nearby rental market. The University of Tampa reported the enrollment milestone.
Where the tower would sit
The proposed tower site is along South Boulevard just off the heart of campus, with local reports listing the address as 110 S. Boulevard. The same parcel was once targeted for a private high-rise student project and already carried approvals for a taller building before UT purchased the land. According to local real-estate watchers, the university’s version scales back that earlier concept while converting the site to institutionally owned housing. Cliggitt Valuation has outlined the recent history of the parcel and prior development ideas.
A longer run of campus expansions
The South Boulevard tower is the latest step in a longer expansion streak for UT’s housing stock. In 2022, the university unveiled plans for a separate 10-story residence hall expected to accommodate more than 600 students as part of a larger campus build-out, signaling a sustained push to bring more students into university-run housing. The Tampa Bay Times covered that 2022 proposal and its planned amenities…