Rick NealeFlorida Today
In August 2026, the first wave of Florida Institute of Technology students will move into a freshly constructed six-story, 556-bed campus housing complex at Melbourne's prominent intersection of Babcock Street and University Boulevard.
"A place where students have the abilities and comfort to be able to relax and focus on a rigorous academic program," Vice President for Student Affairs David McMahan said, standing at a podium alongside the construction site.
"We are especially grateful in Residential Life and Housing. Our faculty and staff will make use of this facility to pursue the developmental efforts to create an environment where students can become all that they're possibly able," McMahan said.
December story: Florida Tech planning six-story, 555-bed student housing complex amid campus housing crunch
Friday morning, Florida Tech officials hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the future student housing complex. Standing 84 feet high, the 212,237-square-foot residential complex will be constructed atop today's Southgate Intramural Field.
Jumbo-sized by Florida Tech standards, this complex will boost campus student housing by 27%. A few fast facts:
- The complex will house 149 apartment-style units.
- Most students will live in four-bedroom and three-bedroom units with two bathrooms and full kitchens. Smaller one- and two-bedroom versions will also be built.
- Ground-floor space will house a classroom, multipurpose room and a café with high-top seating, vending machines and a coffee bar.
"Each floor will feature laundry facilities as well as flexible common spaces including a study room and resident life lounge. An additional common space on each floor will serve varying purposes including a cardio room, game room, movie room and ideation/collaboration space," per a fact sheet from BRPH, the project architect that is overseeing civil engineering and construction administration.
"Outdoors, a paved and landscaped patio features a kitchen with sink and BBQ grill beneath an overhead shade structure, as well as seating. Students may also enjoy an outdoor multi-use field," the fact sheet said.
Last August, Florida Tech welcomed the biggest incoming class in the private university's 67-year history: 2,375 new students.
That sum included 1,148 undergraduate students — including 957 "first time in college" students — and 1,227 graduate students.
What's more, enrollment deposits for this fall and the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year are up 23% year-to-date, increasing from 559 to 691.
"As we welcome another booming incoming class this fall, as we implement our strategic plan on our way to even greater heights, we celebrate the start of this very important project and look forward to welcoming students to their new home in fall of 2026," President John Nicklow told the crowd.
Construction kicked off March 31, and the project is financed by about $96.1 million of municipal bonds. The university is partnering on the project with Servitas, a nationwide student housing developer that built the nine-story, 410-bed Bayview Student Living residence hall at Florida International University.
During his remarks Friday, Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey noted that Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in January for its Florida campus inside the L3Harris Commons building, right across University Boulevard from the construction site.
Rick Nealeis a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X:@RickNeale1
Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com. Click here and subscribe today.
