In Tucson, the University of Arizona has broken ground on a $247 million on-campus dorm called The Catalina, scheduled to open to students in fall 2028.

Developed by Mortenson and designed by Gensler, the nine-story dorm will house more than 1,300 students and include a dining hall. The Catalina will align with student preferences for suite-style units and access to programming and support services.

The dorm will support the university’s expectation that full-time, first-year students live on campus, with exceptions for students living within 30 miles of campus or experiencing specific circumstances or hardships.

“The connection between living on campus and graduating on time is undeniable,” Suresh Garimella, University of Arizona president, said in a statement. “Our students who live on campus for at least one year have a 50% higher four-year graduation rate than those who never do.”

The Catalina leverages Mortenson’s development, design, construction, and financing expertise. To help accelerate the schedule, Mortenson purchased the project site three months early, so that demolition and site preparation could begin ahead of construction. The July groundbreaking took place seven months after the project moved from initial discussion to construction.

For the project, Mortenson facilitated a tax-exempt financing structure in partnership with the Collegiate Housing Foundation. The Catalina is CHF’s 73rd addition to its portfolio since it began operations in 1996.

Mortenson reportedly proposed a 19-story student housing complex in 2025. Partly due to rising construction costs, The Catalina removes 10 floors from the original plan while adding 100 beds.

On the building team: Collegiate Housing Foundation and University of Arizona (owners), Mortenson (developer), Gensler (design architect and architect of record), Power Design (electrical and mechanical engineer), JFN (plumbing engineer), Suntec Concrete (structural engineer), Mortenson (contractor).