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TUCSON - New housing for University of Arizona students will be coming from the private sector.

Friday morning, U of A officials will announce who won bids to build new dorms, in downtown Tucson.

There are nearly 40-thousand students who attend the U of A, but there are only 7,000 beds available for student housing.

Brandie Allison lucked out, she lives in a dorm but says "I think it's a really good idea each year we have more and more new freshman coming in."

City councilman and U of A employee Steve Kozachik agrees.

He applauds the private sector for stepping up to the plate to help fill the gap to build student housing.

"I'm happy to be a part of this , I think it's a great thing for the city, a great thing for the university and a great thing for the students also. I think it's going to be a wonderful environment for them down there," Kozachik said.

Peach Properties is one of the companies that submitted a bid.
Their application is for a 7 story building, that would be constructed south of Broadway between 4th Ave and Herbert St.

Just across the street another developer, Capstone has put in a bid to build 700 new beds.

Between the two properties students will more than 1,000new beds to sleep in.

Ron Schwabe of Peach Properties says, "This would definitely be a huge impact, the Unisource building is going to be a big impact, the street car that's going to run right in the street is going to be a huge impact and getting the students down here and getting all that activity and energy kind of finishes it off."

Councilman Kozachick says he hopes the construction begins soon, and students will move in the fall of 2012.
One downtown businessman says, student housing is a good component for the downtown.