On April 19, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the program statement for construction of a campus residential facility on UNMC’s Omaha campus, which will accommodate approximately 300 occupants.
The proposed budget for the UNMC Residence Hall project is slightly less than $66 million. The proposed site will be at the southeast corner of 39th Street and Dewey Avenue in Omaha, on lots already owned by UNMC. Construction is scheduled to begin in October, with the building being ready for occupancy in August 2026.
The funds will be appropriated from the University of Nebraska’s Internal Lending Program.
UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said the project is an example of the university’s commitment to addressing student concerns, pointing to a 2022 survey of UNMC students to assess the need for affordable housing near the Omaha campus.
Nearly 77% of student respondents indicated it was difficult to find affordable housing near the campus, while approximately 89% said they expected UNMC to provide short-term housing for clinical rotations.
“As we work to ensure that a university education is available to all of our students, affordability and availability of housing should not be a barrier,” Dr. Gold said. “With this project, we are responding to the express wishes of our students but know as well that the new facility will be a benefit to the entire community, including our area businesses.”
“The 205,000-square-foot facility will include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units,” said Phil Covington, EdD, associate vice chancellor for student success at UNMC. “We also are planning a ‘grab-and go’ dining facility with indoor and outdoor seating options.”
“Several small and aging units of existing campus housing will be demolished to make way for the new residence structure,” said Jen Bartholomew, assistant vice chancellor of facilities, management and planning. “The single-family housing scale of the existing buildings limits the quantity of housing units that can be offered in the given land area. The new facility will not only increase housing opportunities but offer an updated alternative to housing units that were nearing or at the end of their useful service life.”
Bartholomew added that parking will be available on part of the proposed site.