Tennis courts at UTC will be refurbished, but Racquet Center will come down to make way for an $80 million student housing/parking facility. It will be ready for freshman students by the fall of 2018.
A new $80 million UTC student housing and parking garage should be ready for the fall of 2018 after getting approval this week for funding through the state Building Commission.
Vance Travis, an architect on the project, said the L-shaped building will be at the corner of Vine and Houston streets and face Vine. He said it was oriented toward Vine to be in sync with planned new residential housing being planned by the River City Company and Unum to stretch from Georgia Avenue to Houston.
Ray Boaz, of Derthick, Henley and Wilkerson, is the lead architect on the project, which also will feature local engineers March Adams. Ross Fowler of Knoxville is the landscape architect for the project that will include an interior courtyard. Hoar Construction, which has offices in Nashville and Atlanta, is the construction manager.
Bill Wilkerson of the Derthick firm said it will have 425,187 square feet and will include a parking garage with 655 spaces.
Mr. Travis said one wing will be five stories tall and the other will rise seven stories.
He said the 600 beds of student housing will be set aside for freshmen. He said UTC freshmen are now scattered across the campus and city, and the new facility will allow a large number of freshmen to be together at a centralized location on campus. "They will be able to get to know one another, engage in team building and develop friendships at this location," he said.
There will be areas on each floor where students can relax or study.
The parking is mainly on two levels, and there is a third parking deck that includes space for loading and unloading and for parents to pick up or drop off students. The parking entrance and exit will be at the same location on Houston Street. Mr. Travis said the lot should not generate much traffic.
The ground floor will include a small dining area that is expected to be open to the public. It will also have a book store, laundry area, and a front desk. Mr. Travis said, "That will be the only entrance. The building will be very secure."
The complex will stretch back toward the UTC Arena.
The current Racquet Center will be torn down this summer, and site work will start. The corner of Vine and Houston is now a surface parking lot.
Nearby tennis courts will be refurbished as part of the project.
Mr. Travis said there will be a series of bids for various portions of the project. He said the construction will take about two years.