The college could add 150 students once the expansion is complete after council approved a special use permit for the school during the Feb. 17 meeting.
The details
The approved permit will allow the campus to expand by about 27,000 square feet for a total of 67,000 square feet, increasing the number of students on-site from 300 to 450; however, the school is expecting a total enrollment of about 1,400 students, Andrew Bodga, assistant director of development services for Richardson, said.
The school operates a hybrid schedule, Bogda said, and a portion of the students enroll in online classes, a portion work in clinical rotation and the remaining students are on-site.
Traffic mitigation measures because of the expansion are not needed, according to city documents; however, if the college were to expand in the future, it would likely be required.
Wes Hoblit, managing director for Masterplan, which represented Galen College of Nursing at the meeting, said the expansion is needed to address enrollment growth and a nursing shortage in North Texas.
The background
The college operates in a three-story office building and first received a special permit in 2023, Bodga said. The renovations will include a simulation lab and expanded classrooms, labs and study areas.
The Envision Richardson comprehensive plan, adopted in 2024, designates the property where the college is located as regional employment and allows public or institutional facilities as a secondary use.
