Palm Beach Atlantic University has unveiled plans for a 25-story dormitory on its West Palm Beach campus to accommodate its expanding student body. The city’s Plans & Plats Review Committee reviewed the proposed student housing tower on August 8. Situated on a 1.71-acre site at 1200 South Dixie Highway, the new dormitory would replace the 3,852-square-foot visual arts building slated for demolition.
As reported by the South Florida Business Journal, the dormitory, designed by architecture firm Cube3, would encompass 358,400 square feet and include 275 rooms, offering 990 beds. An 11-story parking garage with 906 spaces would also front South Dixie Highway. The new facility would support PBA’s goal of increasing enrollment to 5,000 students, up from the approximately 3,800 students enrolled in fall 2023, the largest incoming class in the university’s 55-year history.
“As a Christian university, providing more opportunities for students to live on campus is crucial to enhancing their college experience,” PBA officials noted in a statement. The proposed dormitory expansion is intended to address the current shortfall, with less than half of the student body currently housed on site, and to accommodate future growth in enrollment.
The dormitory will feature 15,550 square feet of dining space on the lower two floors, a 14,600-square-foot fitness center on the third floor, and 4,300 square feet of office space on the parking garage’s ground level. The residential component will include 44 two-bedroom units, 22 three-bedroom units, and 209 four-bedroom units.
PBA is requesting an increase in the new structure’s current height limitation, aligning it with recent building approvals south of Okeechobee Boulevard. University officials said they will work closely with city officials throughout the review process to ensure the project meets the necessary standards and enhances campus life.
In addition to the dormitory, PBA is collaborating with Boca Raton-based Gilbane Development Co., planning firm Urban Design Studio, and local attorneys Harvey Oyer and Jamie Gavigan. The university is currently in growth mode, having broken ground in January on a $75 million, 120,000-square-foot building for its business school, set to open in fall 2025. Plans are also underway for a health sciences building and a performing arts complex on the south side of the campus.
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Great to see the addition of a fine modern dormitory for the growing enrollment of Palm Beach Atlantic University. The students are an integral part of the Downtown West Palm Beach culture. We welcome these fine young citizens. Furthermore, housing them on campus enriches their wholesome growth into maturity learning from the amazing diversity of the student body.
Wow, that’s ugly even by dormitory standards… PBA tends to build nice buildings, too. Should this be built per the rendering, it will stick out like a sore thumb (or rather middle finger) across the street from a cemetery and low-rise established residential neighborhood.
Great to see Palm Beach Atlantic University become a world-class campus! Providing much needed housing for the students! Great looking tower that is very modern looking! Ralph.