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Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

Proposal outlines UTC campus growth for 10 to 15 years

photo Gloria Jarrett, left, and Anita Polk-Conley look at maps after a meeting to discuss plans for UTC growth Monday at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.

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Look at the Campus Master Plan here.Find more UTC details here.

After Monday night’s fourth meeting with community members, UTC officials are preparing to seek government approval for the university’s new master plan that will provide an outline for its real estate growth in the next 10-15 years.

The plan aims to introduce more housing and parking for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s growing student population, centralize academic buildings on the campus, increase grounds for non-varsity sports and reduce campus carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030.

The school is likely to expand student housing farther down Vine Street and may buy some properties along M.L. King Boulevard, according to the plan.

“There’s certainly some urgency in our housing situation,” said UTC spokesman Chuck Cantrell, after the school had to board some students in hotels at the beginning of this year. He said UTC’s population is expected to rise to 12,000 students next fall, and the school will have to accommodate 15,000 within the lifetime of the proposed plan.