Washington U. plans 20-acre expansion
By Tavia Evans
Of the Post-Dispatch
02/14/2005
Washington University will expand with a new 20-acre campus for graduate students and administrative offices near the Delmar Loop.
The university has acquired the property, a block north of Delmar Boulevard and east of Skinker Boulevard, in the last five years.
Now it plans to tear down the old Radiant Products manufacturing building on Rosedale Avenue and build a mixed-use housing and retail complex. The project will include housing for graduate students, an attached community center and retail geared toward the students living nearby.
The university also owns 700 Rosedale Avenue, the former Angelica uniform factory. That building will be renovated into offices; about 500 employees will be at the north campus building. Renovation is set to begin this spring.
Steve Hoffner, an executive vice president of housing, said the university had eyed the property as a site for graduate housing in recent years.
"We can only house 4,000 students on campus, and none of that includes housing for graduate students," Hoffner said. "This will give us an opportunity to build a better sense of community for graduate students and find housing for them."
Details on the cost of the housing and the number of units to be developed are still being worked out, Hoffner said.
Parts of Rosedale, a major traffic and Metro bus thoroughfare, will be closed during the demolition and construction. The area already is a major shuttle stop for university students and a hub for Metro transportation; a MetroLink stop and parking lot are adjacent to the university's property.
The project is part of a two-phase plan to move several university departments and create an entirely new campus. The school's office of parking and transportation services, shuttle operations, campus mail services and the ROTC program are among the offices relocating to the area.
Alderman Lyda Krewson, D-28th Ward, said the plan has strong support from area residents and business owners. She said she will work with the university and the city to obtain the appropriate land clearances and with Metro to ensure a safe traffic flow in the area.
Developer Joe Edwards recently finished construction of a new parking lot across the street from the Radiant Products building, and he owns most of the buildings a block south on Delmar. Edwards owns Blueberry Hill, the Pageant theater building, the Pin-Up Bowl and other properties in the Delmar Loop.
The university has "a long-range plan that will evolve over the next few years," he said. "But it will help to stabilize the neighborhood and add to its vitality."
Link:
Washington University - St. Louis
