In April, ASU started the demolition of Best, Irish and Hayden residential halls, in order to make way for a new complex that is set to be completed in 2028.
According to the Capital Improvement Plan for 2027-30, the new building will be located between ASU Gammage and the Apache Boulevard parking structure.
The project is currently priority No. 3 on the Capital Improvement Plan list, below construction of a new football practice facility and renovations to Desert Financial Arena.
April marks the first phase of the construction process. The demolition is expected to continue through the summer and construction will start in Fall 2026, according to a University spokesperson.
This document was submitted by ASU to the Arizona Board of Regents in September 2025. The document details plans to improve the Tempe campus.
While construction is taking place, no changes are expected to be made to the ASU Tempe campus shuttle stop on South Forest Avenue, the spokesperson stated.
"The existing buildings are aging and have reached the end of their useful life," according to the improvement plan.
Irish Hall was constructed in 1940, Hayden Hall in 1951 and Best Hall in 1956. According to the improvement plan, there have not been significant remodels to the buildings except for an expansion on Irish Hall in 1946.
"The demand for continuing student living on campus is high and the retention rates are consistently higher for students living on campus versus at home or in nearby off-campus apartments," the document states.
The completion of the 78,000 gross square feet complex will provide multiple buildings that can serve as administrative and academics spaces as well as student housing, which will offer approximately 2,000-2,500 beds.
The total budget for this project will be $400 million. The University will fund $30 million toward it and the rest will be funded by a third-party private partnership, according to the plan document.
The $30 million on ASU's behalf comes from a system revenue bond, which is essentially money from a state or local government granted to build specific infrastructure which will then be repaid via profit made from the project.
Edited by Natalia Rodriguez, Senna James and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at galawre3@asu.edu.
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Grace Lawrence is the lead reporter for the community and culture desk at The State Press. This is her 2nd semester working with The State Press.

