UM revealed plans to replace Mahoney-Pearson Residential Colleges with a new residential complex called Gables Village. The construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026 and end by mid-2029.
Gables Village will be made up of two towers connected on the ground floor and include amenities like study rooms, wellness areas, recreational lounges and collaboration spaces. The project is expected to span 573,804 gross square feet.
The building referred to as “residential college one” will have 222 units and 735 beds spread across nine floors. “Residential college two” will have 207 units and 723 beds across 10 floors. The total of 1,458 beds is 32 more beds than Mahoney-Pearson’s current 1,426 beds.
The plans are pending approval from the City of Coral Gables. A meeting with the Coral Gables Development Review Committee discussing the construction is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21, at 9:30 a.m.
Phase two of Centennial Village, which includes three new buildings, will open for students in August 2026. These three residential colleges will have 1,150 beds in total and, once completely open, Centennial Village will have approximately 2,025 beds.
The demolition of Mahoney-Pearson and the opening of Centennial Village Phase two creates an expected loss of 276 beds for the 2026-2027 academic year. The Hurricane has contacted the University for comment and has not yet received a response.
The Gables Village buildings will have double suites, single suites and single rooms. Single suites are the most common room type across the two towers.
UM also intends to build a new 9,898 square foot “Central Energy Plant” next to the Mahoney-Pearson parking garage. The garage will remain operational, but the entrance will be relocated to the south side and can be accessed via Ponce de Leon Boulevard.
Future plans about replacing the Mahoney-Pearson dining hall are also in discussion. The new dining hall will have seating for 700 and span 24,046 square feet.
The filings show plans for other buildings to be demolished in the future, including Whitten Learning Center.
According to a letter of intent written by Jessica Brumley, the vice president for facilities operations and planning, this construction is the next part of UM’s “Housing Master Plan,” following Lakeside and Centennial Village.
“This next phase will provide modern, sustainable housing that enhances the student experience for years to come,” Brumley wrote.
Arquitectonica, one of the largest architecture firms in Miami, will design the new residential colleges. The firm previously designed Lakeside Village and the Murphy Design Studio.
The firm has a large focus on sustainability, “developing solutions that balance a modern aesthetic with an environmentally sensitive practice to create value, identity and a sustainable environment.”
Lakeside Village received a LEED Gold certification rating in 2022 and UM has been working on achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. As of 2024, there has been a 79.6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at the Coral Gables and Rosenstiel campuses since 2013.
The Hurricane will publish updates as we receive more information.