The University of Colorado Boulder will begin a $15 million utility infrastructure expansion in the North Boulder Creek area of main campus in November.

The North Boulder Creek area is home to about 1,000 beds in apartment-style housing at CU Boulder, primarily for graduate students and some undergraduate students. The utility expansion is needed, according to the plan for the project, as the bed count increases to 1,330 beds when a new residence hall, Residence One, is finished.

Residence One will be an on-campus, apartment-style residential building at 19th Street and Athens Street near Boulder High School that will house about 330 students and allow existing residence halls to undergo renovations. It’s anticipated to cost $124.4 million with move-in slated for August of 2026.

Design is underway for the utility expansion, and construction is planned to start in November with an anticipated completion date in April of 2026. The North Boulder Creek area of campus is described as “the area bounded to the south by Boulder Creek, to the north by Arapahoe Avenue, to the west by 17th Street, and the east by Folsom Street,” according to the Campus Master Plan.

The project will provide medium-voltage power, low-temperature heating, hot water and chilled water to the area. Future development projects could tie into this utility infrastructure. A study by the campus, according to the project’s statement of information, showed this plan would be the most energy-efficient and cost-effective solution for providing utilities to this area of campus.

“Conversion of the district thermal energy loop from steam to (heating hot water) allows for the campus to transition from a fossil fuel energy source today to a renewable energy source in the future,” the plan read.

The University of Colorado Board of Regents approved the project on Thursday at its meeting at CU Anschutz.

Funding for the project will be derived from multiple sources of campus cash, including Utilities and Energy Services auxiliary funds and Student Affairs auxiliary funds.