UAH gains approval for 58-acre 'Exploration Plaza' phase 1, $173.6M university component
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Summary
The board approved UAH's Exploration Plaza Phase 1 planning and consultant rankings, covering 58 acres with 400 student beds, a ~100,000 sq ft research facility and developer-led commercial and retail components; preliminary university funding needs total about $173.6 million.
The Board approved authorization for project planning and to negotiate a pre-development agreement for Exploration Plaza Phase 1, a 58-acre development intended to expand UAH's student housing and research capacity.
Mike Rogers described Phase 1 as including four subprojects: a university-owned student housing component (about 400 beds), a university-owned research facility with approximately 100,000 square feet of dry lab and secured research space, a developer-owned commercial office building (~105,000 sq ft) and retail (~36,000 sq ft) to support a college-town environment. Rogers said the top-ranked master-developer teams included Capstone Development Parker Partners and Lincoln Property Company.
Preliminary budgets presented in the materials allocated $75,940,000 for the student housing component and $97,600,000 for the research facility; university components (including state advancement-and-technology funds, supplemental ETF appropriations, gifts/in-kind and central reserves) total approximately $173,598,000. Rogers described the combined university-plus-developer preliminary total as $247,600,000.
The committee approved the consultant rankings and authorized staff to negotiate a pre-development agreement and proceed with project planning. Rogers said the project aims to "foster a vibrant college town atmosphere, advance UAH's research enterprise, and strengthen connections with the Huntsville community." Next steps will include negotiations with the selected master developer and further budget refinement.
