An $18.3 million mistake

Construction for the new student services building at the Ybor campus has been placed on hold after school officials learned the blueprint design did not follow city guidelines. According to news reports, the architectural plans for the student services building would make it 15 feet taller than allowed, exceeding the limit for the YC-3 zoning code mandatory for buildings at the Ybor City campus. The $18.3 million project began construction on Dec. 3, 2008, so how is it that officials came to find out about the infringement four months after it was supposedly approved? HCC spokesperson Ashley Carl said a member from the community, who had been following Ybor City's new construction and was familiar with the zoning codes, noticed the height of the building, then reported to officials. So it's back to the drawing board for the architect, with the new students services building needing a redesign to meet code. What does this mean for students? The original 11-12 month estimated completion time has been postponed and students should not expect to enjoy the eco-friendly building any time soon. When asked for a new time frame that students can expect the building to be done, the answer wasn't clear, "not sure when," said Carl, "[it] can't be finalized until it's done with the city."

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