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PostJun 27, 2023#51

The City of Clayton is hosting a Community Meeting on the future of Concordia Seminary & Washington University on Thursday 6/29:

“At the meeting, representatives from Concordia Seminary, Washington University, and the City of Clayton will share information for the two sites above regarding long-range development, use planning, and a proposed project. Residents and other interested parties will have the opportunity to provide feedback.“

More information about the event can be found here:

https://www.claytonmo.gov/Home/Componen ... ent/6209/6

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PostJun 27, 2023#52

^ Sounds interesting. Would be nice if they could include the West Campus at the Forsyth train station in the discussion of “long-range development and use planning…”

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PostJun 30, 2023#53

Concordia Seminary plans $45M transformation of Clayton campus with new housing and athletic facilities shared with Washington University

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is planning a $45 million capital project on its campus in Clayton that will create new student housing and facilities designed to modernize the campus and increase recruitment.
In addition to new apartment complexes and townhouses that will be built in the center of the seminary's 72-acre campus at 801 Seminary Place, planned projects include a welcome center, new green space and a common area and renovation of historic buildings, according to a news release from the seminary. The plan will give students access to new athletic facilities built through a land use agreement with the neighboring Washington University. The number and variety of student housing types will increase under the plan, the seminary said.

The project will begin at Concordia’s Gothic architecture-filled campus as soon as the seminary has city approvals and funding in place, according to the news release. The new student housing will require a conditional use permit from the city.
Funding will come from the seminary’s next fundraising campaign and its earnings from the land use agreement with WashU, the seminary said. Seminary officials did not give financial details of the pact.
The $45 million cost estimate covers the first three phases, with the welcome center as a future project not included in that total, the seminary said. The cost of the potential athletic facilities to be built by WashU is also not included in that total. Plans are in the "very early conceptual stage" for that part of the project, a WashU official said at a public community meeting held on the project Tuesday night.
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2023/06/30/concordia-seminary-clayton-washington-university.html

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PostJun 30, 2023#54

I hope they build something on either side of Seminary at San Bonita. They're screaming for infill. And please widen the sidewalk along De Mun.

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PostMar 11, 2024#55

I’m not aware of a Fontbonne thread, but posting here since WUSTL is involved.

Fontbonne will close in 2025 and sell their 16 acre campus to WUSTL.

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PostMar 11, 2024#56

Debaliviere91 wrote:
Mar 11, 2024
I’m not aware of a Fontbonne thread, but posting here since WUSTL is involved.

Fontbonne will close in 2025 and sell their 16 acre campus to WUSTL.
Does that mean I can claim a degree from WUSTL?

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PostMar 11, 2024#57

What kind of plans might WashU have for the Fontbonne campus? 

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PostMar 11, 2024#58

Stl PR - Fontbonne University to close, cites dwindling endowment and enrollment
Wash U officials confirmed Monday. The larger university will lease the 16 acres back to Fontbonne as the school winds down operations.
 
Wash U does not have further plans for the property, school officials said.
https://www.stlpr.org/education/2024-03 ... enrollment

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PostMar 11, 2024#59

RockChalkSTL wrote:
Mar 11, 2024
What kind of plans might WashU have for the Fontbonne campus? 
Build baby build. I don't think they can do anything more in the FPP/Big Bend/Forsyth/Skinker footprint in regards to updates/additions.

I say this with no insight, but my guess is anything residential in the South 40 area from the 1950's to the 1980's is toast. They'll use the Fontbonne area for the pivot.

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PostMar 11, 2024#60

I'm annoyed Wash U bought it though I'm not surprised considering its next door, universities love to land bank and Wash U is rolling in the dough. Would've been good to bring it back onto the tax rolls and maybe have some purpose other than for Wash U to sit back, do nothing and think about a development plan for like 10 years. 

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PostMar 11, 2024#61

I think this is bad news for medical campus growth in Cortex. 

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PostMar 11, 2024#62

PeterXCV wrote:
Mar 11, 2024
I'm annoyed Wash U bought it though I'm not surprised considering its next door, universities love to land bank and Wash U is rolling in the dough. Would've been good to bring it back onto the tax rolls and maybe have some purpose other than for Wash U to sit back, do nothing and think about a development plan for like 10 years. 
That's the problem in that Wash U thinks in terms of decades and as a learning institution can do so because of the tax laws.

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PostMar 11, 2024#63

dbInSouthCity wrote:
Mar 11, 2024
I think this is bad news for medical campus growth in Cortex. 
Unless you have some inside scoop you’re withholding, I don’t share this concern. Fontbonne campus doesn’t have footprint, access or shovel ready sites for those developments.

I think they’ll use it to expand on campus housing, a cash cow for universities.

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PostMar 12, 2024#64

Not a bad thing IMO. Fontbonne has been struggling for years and is saddled with debt, it's time there was some consolidation in the world of college and universities. This is going to become an increasing national trend where these tiny colleges will be absorbed by larger peers. If WU can use it to improve their campus life and enrolment numbers and thus further enhancing their own reputation and that of St. Louis overall in some way then I'm all for this. 

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PostMar 12, 2024#65

That’s not what’s happening here….this isn’t a merger of two schools like companies merge.  This is one company going out of biz and another take it’s building and using it for something else and using it actually for nothing in the near future

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PostMar 12, 2024#66

OK so firstly this is clayton not the city.  They don't really need the tax revenue so short of a merger of the city and county or something i think its fine it stays part of an academic institution.

Secondly a bit of realism.  If develop the is zero chance this would be developed at high density.  The surrounding neighborhoods are some of the most elite in all of St. louis.  The NIMBY side of the force is strong here.  Best one could hope for is an extension of student housing from the South40 into the Fontbonne footprint and an overall expansion of enrollment.  Or maybe the baseball/softball field are moved to Fontbonne and campus buildings are built on that footprint.

Thirdly not too worried about the medical campus moving.  It's symbiotic with BJC.

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PostMar 12, 2024#67

I don't see how this would have any effect on the BJC/Wash U medical campus. That's a whole separate entity, located miles away.

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PostMar 12, 2024#68

framer wrote:
Mar 12, 2024
I don't see how this would have any effect on the BJC/Wash U medical campus. That's a whole separate entity, located miles away.
That was my same thought. Anything pencilled in for Cortex and moved to Danforth/Fontbonne would be minor.

PostMar 12, 2024#69

STLEnginerd wrote:
Mar 12, 2024
OK so firstly this is clayton not the city.  They don't really need the tax revenue so short of a merger of the city and county or something i think its fine it stays part of an academic institution.

Secondly a bit of realism.  If develop the is zero chance this would be developed at high density.  The surrounding neighborhoods are some of the most elite in all of St. louis.  The NIMBY side of the force is strong here.  Best one could hope for is an extension of student housing from the South40 into the Fontbonne footprint and an overall expansion of enrollment.  Or maybe the baseball/softball field are moved to Fontbonne and campus buildings are built on that footprint.
That was my other thought. Those homes/mansions have some massive NIMBY power: so much they could stop Wash U dead in their tracks even with all of their money and power.

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PostMar 12, 2024#70

dbInSouthCity wrote:
Mar 11, 2024
I think this is bad news for medical campus growth in Cortex. 
I agree with DB here. WashU had the top of the sign at 4240, which is nothing more than offices and light lab space. It's easy to ignore one or two buildings at the South Campus on Clayton Rd but it's really hard to ignore 8 vacant buildings adjacent to their largest housing plot. Trustees will say "Why are we building / renting in Cortex when we have 120k sq ft sitting empty on campus?"

Ideally, they move a couple large departments down there and/or some grad and doctoral components that operate more independently of their undergrad affiliates. As nice as it would be to say "hey English dept, you have your own building now"  (I don't know if the English dept currently has their own bldg). You're then isolating that department from the library, student center, dining etc. of the main block of the Danforth campus.

I hate to possibly side with the NIMBYs here but if WashU's safest course is to keep the existing buildings, I'd love to see it. Worst case scenario: everything gets torn down for soccer fields.

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PostMar 12, 2024#71

I think the most likely use is undergrad dorms and amenities.

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PostMar 12, 2024#72

STLEnginerd wrote:
Mar 12, 2024
OK so firstly this is clayton not the city.  They don't really need the tax revenue so short of a merger of the city and county or something i think its fine it stays part of an academic institution.

Secondly a bit of realism.  If develop the is zero chance this would be developed at high density.  The surrounding neighborhoods are some of the most elite in all of St. louis.  The NIMBY side of the force is strong here.  Best one could hope for is an extension of student housing from the South40 into the Fontbonne footprint and an overall expansion of enrollment.  Or maybe the baseball/softball field are moved to Fontbonne and campus buildings are built on that footprint.

Thirdly not too worried about the medical campus moving.  It's symbiotic with BJC.
The bjc and WUSTL med relationship isn’t all peachy.

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PostMar 12, 2024#73

aprice wrote:
Mar 12, 2024
Ideally, they move a couple large departments down there and/or some grad and doctoral components that operate more independently of their undergrad affiliates. As nice as it would be to say "hey English dept, you have your own building now"  (I don't know if the English dept currently has their own bldg). You're then isolating that department from the library, student center, dining etc. of the main block of the Danforth campus.
Probably unrealistic, but I think it'd be neat if they moved all the fine art and/or performing arts programs there, and almost treated it like a spinoff, a dedicated local art school. That seems to be something we lack compared to peers (KCAI in KC, CCS in Detroit, CIA in Cleveland, AAC in Cincinnati, etc), and something that could maybe be more easily separated from other fields of study on the main campus. Except for museum being up there. 

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PostMar 12, 2024#74

quincunx wrote:
Mar 12, 2024
I think the most likely use is undergrad dorms and amenities.
This seems like the most logical use-case. 

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PostMar 12, 2024#75

STLEnginerd wrote:
Mar 12, 2024
OK so firstly this is clayton not the city.  They don't really need the tax revenue
Actually, Clayton does in fact need the revenue.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... 1f532.html

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