Alabama State University has approved plans to build more on-campus student housing.

Two new residential apartments will be built on Forest Avenue and South University Drive in Montgomery with 288 beds and 264 beds, respectively. The South University Drive site will include the demolition of the Cynthia Alexander Apartments while the Forest Avenue site will feature a student activity center with a café.

“This announcement has been a long time coming. We have not had new construction on the ASU campus for a number of years,” ASU President Quinton T. Ross, Jr., said in a statement.

The development plan and its financing was approved by the university’s board of trustees this month and will offer students apartment-style living. Both complexes will be built simultaneously with the goal to be ready for occupancy as quickly as possible.

The new construction supports Alabama State University’s FOCUS 2030 Strategic Plan, which has as one of its goals to “upgrade campus facilities for revitalization and expansion.”

“The need for new student housing is critical to the University’s continued growth,” said Donald Dotson, ASU’s vice president of Facilities Management and Operations, who will oversee the development.

“These projects will not only provide very nice living conditions for our students, but also will help us with new student enrollment and recruiting opportunities as prospective Hornets observe the impressive housing these two new facilities will provide,” Dotson added.