UTSA announces Blanco Hall, a new living-learning community for undergraduates

Blanco Hall will be a new living-learning community coming to the UTSA Main Campus in 2025. Renderings courtesy of HKS | Architects & Designers

AUGUST 7, 2023 — UTSA announced plans today for Blanco Hall, a new residence hall that will expand the university’s housing options for first-year students and sophomores. The new community will accommodate 594 undergraduate students in a mix of single- and double-bed units, spanning 162,500 square feet at the intersection of Barshop Blvd. and Tobin Ave. on a northwest corner of the Main Campus.

Research shows that on-campus housing strengthens student connections and increases engagement in campus activities and learning opportunities for undergraduates. Living on campus is especially valuable for first-year and first-generation students, who benefit from close access to student success resources and peer networking.

Living on campus can also have a positive impact on students’ year-to-year retention and time to graduation. Students who live on campus have more immediate access to services and support, making them more likely to graduate and to graduate on time.

“Blanco Hall will serve our undergraduate students well and build on our collective efforts to enhance the student on-campus experience.”

“As UTSA continues to grow, we remain committed to achieving our strategic destination of becoming a model for student success, and on-campus housing plays a significant role in providing the resources and sense of community our Roadrunners need to succeed,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “Blanco Hall will serve our undergraduate students well and build on our collective efforts to enhance the student on-campus experience.”

Blanco Hall will be a living-learning community that features educational resources. It will include a dietetics kitchen, which will serve as a shared nutrition, research and practice laboratory. The kitchen will support a program in dietetics, in addition to cooking classes, and will utilize a multipurpose room as an education and training center to engage students in meaningful research related to chronic disease prevention.

The complex will feature a variety of common spaces for study and community-building activities. Students will benefit from the hall’s proximity to dining options, existing residence communities and campus resources that enable students to develop personally and professionally.

“Each of the amenities included in the design of Blanco Hall are intentional building blocks for student success,” said Senior Vice President for Business Affairs and Chief Enterprise Development Officer Veronica Salazar. “The proximity to campus resources and the addition of collaborative amenities support an optimal experience for students living on campus as we develop a thriving living-learning community.”

Construction of the new hall is expected to begin this fall, with work taking place near Chisholm Hall on Resident Lot 3. Over 200 parking spaces will be reallocated to the north end of the Barshop Lot to provide convenient nearby parking and minimize disruption.

Upon completion of Blanco Hall, expected in June 2025, the UTSA Main Campus will have 5,183 beds, putting the university at 95% of its goal to have 5,400 beds on campus by 2025.

— Brandie Yale