The University of Connecticut's Board of Trustees has approved a plan to purchase a hotel on campus for about $9.1 million and convert it to a dormitory.
The school exercised its right of first refusal after another company approached the owners of the Nathan Hale Inn and offered just under $8.4 for the building, which sits on university property.
The university says it would need to spend the additional money to bring the building up to code and buy new furniture.
UConn currently leases 50 rooms in the 98-room hotel for student housing, at a cost of about $1.1 million per school year.
The school says demand for on-campus housing has outpaced capacity for the last 13 years.
Trustees approved the plan Wednesday on a voice vote.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
