Blinn board selects Servitas as partner at new Brenham Campus residence hall
New student housing facility will house 400-500 students and accommodate campus's growing enrollment
January 22, 2020
The Blinn College District Board of Trustees has authorized the College to negotiate and execute a contract with Servitas to finance, design, construct, and operate a new, 400-500 bed student housing facility on the Brenham Campus.
Development of the new student housing facility would follow the same public-private partnership model utilized to construct Mill Creek Hall, a 464-bed residence hall that opened to full capacity for the Fall 2018 semester. Servitas partnered with Blinn on the development of that project.
The new student housing facility would accommodate enrollment growth on the Blinn-Brenham Campus. With 1,761 beds, Blinn-Brenham has more student housing than any other Texas community college; however, the demand for on-campus housing continues to exceed the supply. Blinn opened the Fall 2019 semester with a wait list of approximately 150 students.
Through the public-private partnership, the residence hall would be developed on Blinn property but constructed and managed by a private partner. Through this collaboration, Blinn can increase its student housing capacity in Brenham without having to fund the facility’s construction.
Servitas is a nationally renowned real estate development firm specializing in student housing. The firm provides its clients with the full suite of services, including market and demand research, development management, financial structuring (including public-private partnerships), construction management, and property management. Servitas has developed over 45 higher education student housing projects nationwide and secured over $1 billion in tax-exempt financing.
In other business, the board authorized the College to request qualifications for professional services required for completing, consulting and monitoring Blinn’s three-year audit plan and accepted the Washington County Appraisal District audit for Fiscal Year 2018-19.
