Broaddus Planning was retained to initiate a housing master plan and a facility space program for the first residence hall on the 21-acre peninsula located in the heart of the campus. The Ft. Brown peninsula is surrounded by the main campus, and was previously a resort which housed Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn hotels. Previously, a portion of the old Holiday Inn facility had been used for student housing, while the former Ramada Inn was vacant. There is also a restaurant facility with a view of a resaca (oxbow lake) and campus buildings.

Facility advantages include beautiful landscaping and a location within walking distance of both the main campus and the US-Mexico border crossing. Broaddus Planning looked at the entire peninsula for the eventual development of undergraduate and married student housing. The resulting housing master plan incorporates the “town-gown” connection to downtown Brownsville, immediately northwest of the Peninsula, while providing long-term flexibility for a human-scale campus housing environment.