The University of Alaska Fairbanks has contracted with a private company to develop new dining and residence hall facilities adjacent to Wood Center.

Construction on the dining facility, which will replace the aging Lola Tilly Commons, is slated to begin in March 2013. The 34,000-square-foot dining facility would be an addition to Wood Center and would include a ground-level coffee shop, a new marche-style dining area and remodeled student services offices. Financing and design plans for the new facility are scheduled to go before the UA Board of Regents in the fall. If approved, the new facility will open in August 2014.