University of Phoenix to open Beach campus

The University of Phoenix, a private college, plans to open a campus with administrative offices and classrooms in Virginia Beach's Town Center later this year.

The for-profit university, known for its online classes, will move into a 10,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of Cosmopolitan Apartments, at Central Park Avenue and Columbus Street.

The space had been held open for a grocery store, and if one comes to Town Center, the University of Phoenix would be moved elsewhere in the development, said Michael Divaris, president of Divaris Real Estate Inc.

The school was seeking a ground-floor location that would attract foot traffic, Divaris said.

The new campus would serve students in Hampton Roads. The school also has a campus in Richmond