Adam RollinsThe University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC Asheville) has revealed plans to transform a 45-acre plot of land – called South Campus – with new developments. Part of the university’s Millennial Campus, the two-phase, more than $200 million project will feature a stadium, mixed-use housing and a childcare center.
The plan, created in collaboration with the amateur soccer club Asheville City SC, will seek private developers for the land plot, which is currently a wooded area. The selected developer would design, build, finance, own and operate housing, up to 50,000 square feet of retail space, and roughly 1,500 parking spaces, including a 1,000-space parking deck. It would also take primary responsibility for the stadium, which would be owned by an LLC created by the school’s endowment fund, according to the school’s proposal.
The core of the project’s first phase is centered around the multi-purpose stadium planned for the campus. Once completed, the stadium will host various men’s and women’s soccer teams for the university and the USL. The university plans to use the facility to also host multiple types of events to draw visitors to Asheville.
UNC will use the project to address critical on-campus housing shortages by building additional mixed-use housing for students, faculty and staff and the local community. In addition, the university will build a childcare center alongside other amenities to better satisfy community needs and demands.
Green space will be a prominent consideration in the upcoming campus, aligning with the university’s efforts to preserve and maintain environmental sustainability throughout campus development.
The project’s details for its second phase are still being determined. Once both phases are complete, the university expects to bring in investments of over $250 million, boosting the local economy and bringing in new revenue to UNC.
Image by Atlas Hart from Pixabay
