By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The University of Arizona broke ground Tuesday, July 14, on the Catalina, a nine-story apartment-style dormitory near Speedway Boulevard and Campbell Avenue, replacing a cluster of smaller residential buildings that previously occupied the site.
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The new facility is designed to give incoming freshmen an additional on-campus housing option that includes private bathrooms and shared gathering spaces — amenities students have said they want.
Retention data drives the project
University research shows 81% of freshmen who live on campus return for a second year, compared to 73% who live off campus. The Catalina is intended to draw more first-year students into university housing and build a sense of community.
The building will also include an in-hall dining facility. Amanda Kraus, vice president for student affairs, said the dining space is meant to serve as more than a meal location.
“I believe that the proximity to community, to campus resources, to your classrooms, really does contribute to success,” Kraus said. “Another feature of the Catalina that we’re really excited to develop is an in-hall dining hall. So we expect that that will support students, not just in their breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but we want that to be a place where students gather, where they study, where they meet up, where they hang out.”
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Access and transportation
The Catalina sits along Speedway Boulevard, a heavily traveled corridor. University officials said the building’s design will encourage students to use the nearby streetcar to reach campus or the Warren Avenue underpass to cross under Speedway and avoid street traffic.
The Catalina is expected to open to students by fall 2028.
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