El Paso: $23M Miner Canyon opens student housing at UTEP

EL PASO – A new $23 million high-tech housing complex at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has opened its doors, increasing the number of students living on campus to nearly 1,000.

The Miner Canyon Housing Complex includes two apartment-style residence halls built on 6.2 acres north of UTEP’s Helen of Troy Softball Complex off Sun Bowl Dr.

The complex is the first step toward the development of the northern zone of the campus.

The project took about a year to complete and the two four-story halls follow the university’s signature Bhutanese architectural style.

Overall, the complex has 83 units that can house up to 352 students.

Each unit has apartments that range from single-person lofts to six-person suites. All units have kitchens, bathrooms, living areas and are furnished.

UTEP officials said rent at Miner Canyon ranges from $525 to $600 per person per month.

The housing complex also includes the Boquillas community building with a computer lab and other common areas.

Miner Canyon is the first expansion of the university’s housing community, which includes Miner Village and Miner Heights, which opened in 2001 and 2010, respectively.

UTEP officials said the new housing complex is part of the institution’s transition from a primarily commuter school to one offering more on-campus options in an effort to draw and keep students on campus.