WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach could become home to thousands of additional college students.
Palm Beach Atlantic University is asking the city to allow it to have 5,000 students, a 66.7% increase from its current cap at 3,000 students. PBA is the second school, along with Vanderbilt University, trying to add additional college students to the downtown area.
WATCH: Will more students in downtown West Palm Beach mean more traffic?
According to city records, the self-described Christian university said it has seen substantial growth in recent years and envisions a greater demand for education and culture associated with its growth.
"Currently, we are experiencing enrollment growth of 50 to 100 new students annually, and we are requesting an increased cap so we can strategically plan for the next decade or two in order to accommodate this growth," a school representative told WPTV.
The school is also asking the city to change regulations to create a 25-story student dormitory with 275 units, and a parking garage with 888 spots.
The dormitory would be located at 1200 South Dixie Highway. According to the city, the proposed 11-floor parking garage would become the tallest parking garage structure in the city.
The private university is building a six-story business school on its campus as well.
According to city documents, city traffic engineers have raised concerns regarding the potential future traffic impacts on the surrounding roadway network with the increase in student enrollment cap.
The school told us its goal is to reduce the number of commuter students by increasing the number of students living on campus.
"Currently, PBA can only house about 50% of our students in on-campus housing, and many of our students wish to live in on-campus housing," a representative told WPTV. "We are working to ensure we give them the college experience they desire."
VANDERBILT ALSO ADDS STUDENTS
Vanderbilt University is building a $520 million graduate student campus in downtown West Palm Beach for about 1,000 students. The school said on Monday it’s raised $77 million towards its goal of $300 million for the new campus.
WATCH: Vanderbilt University to open campus in West Palm Beach
Two developers with projects already in Palm Beach County made up a majority of those donations, according to Vanderbilt. It said Stephen Ross with Related Ross made a $50 million donation and Cody Crowell with Frisbie Group made a $5 million donation.
