Layton Construction has already begun work at the northeast corner of campus. (Photo courtesy of St. George News.)

Out with the old and in with the new, Utah Tech University is tearing down Nisson Towers, the school's oldest student housing building, to make room for the brand new Campus View Suites III.

According to the university's strategic plan, student enrollment is predicted to increase from 12,556 students this year to 16,000 students by 2025.

With this drastic increase in enrollment, Utah Tech began implementing the third phase of its student housing project. The first two phases consisted of the completion of Campus View Suites I and II located near the corner of 100 South and 1000 East in downtown St. George.

The Campus View Suites III building has a total budget of approximately $65 million, with around $55 million allocated to the construction. It is funded through a bond that will be paid back using the rent from its future residents.

Seth Gubler, director of housing and student life of Utah Tech University, told St. George News that this new addition to on-campus housing is projected to be complete and ready for student use by the fall semester of 2024.

"Students are excited anytime we add a new building," Gubler said. "There's an enthusiasm that floats around in the air, and we do try to make each facility a little bit better than the last one."

The layout will be similar to the previous Campus View Suites and Gubler added that they are planning to include additional study rooms as per feedback from students and possibly a small market for residents to get groceries.

Jon Gibb, director of facility planning and construction, told St. George News that all of the Campus View Suites buildings have been contracted through Layton Construction Company.

Work is currently under way as the northeast corner of the campus is fenced off by the contractor. Gibb said the company has been working on hazardous materials abatement and plans to have the Nisson Towers completely taken down by mid-February.

Campus View Suites III are planned to be completed in June 2024 in time for incoming students to have access for the fall semester. The existing Campus View Suites buildings were successfully finished by their target dates and allowed a sufficient transition time for students coming to the school.

"Even if we're a few weeks late, it's really catastrophic," Gibb said. "It hurts, because the students don't have anywhere to go if it's not done. So we definitely really want to forecast, look ahead and make sure we hit that target date."

With the increase of enrollment, parking has reportedly become an issue among students at the university. In an attempt to remedy that issue, Utah Tech is planning the removal of the Edith Whitehead Education building and eventually the removal of the North Plaza building.

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