Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, is planning a new $30 million, 340-bed residence hall.
The Winona Daily News reports that Foundation Hall is expected to open for the fall semester in 2027.
Last week, the Minnesota State Board of Trustees approved Winona State entering into a lease with the WSU Foundation to operate and manage the building. Neither the university nor the state will cover any of the facility costs. It will be owned by the foundation.
The hall will feature modern amenities, gathering spaces for students, Wi-Fi, air conditioning and more.
The foundation has worked with the university to ensure the hall meets the university's needs.
The foundation owns a large portion of the construction site and plans to demolish the two empty structures it owns on the site as soon as it can. One building on the site has already been razed..
The progress with the project comes after a couple years of delay. Olson said conversations started in 2021, but were put on hold after interest rates went up in 2022.
When interest rates went down this year, the foundation began to focus on the project again.
It's not the first time the foundation has built residential facilities for the university. For more than two decades, WSU has managed and operated the East Lake Apartments.
