Departments
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Week of 8 October 1999 |
Vol. III, No. 9 |
Feature
Article
2 dorms, rvr. vu.
$385M housing and sports complex to serve students and neighbors
On September 29, BU officials publicly presented revised plans for a new athletic and residence complex that is designed to be the center of on-campus life in the next century.
The proposed multistage Student Village development, which awaits approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), would be built on the 10.2-acre lot of the former Commonwealth Armory and feature a new hockey and basketball arena, recreation center, three new dormitories, and a field house at a nearby BU property.
"The goal of this ambitious construction project is to assure our ability to recruit top students to the University by providing a quality of campus life competitive with those at the best colleges and universities," said Dennis Berkey, BU's provost and dean of Arts and Sciences. "This development is a central element of the campus we envision for the next century." Berkey is coordinating the project.
"We surveyed our students and made a trip around the country looking at recreation centers, and what we found is that our center is going to have to be a major attraction," said Richard Towle, BU's senior vice president, at the September 29 meeting of the Project Advisory Committee (PAC), a group of local residents and business owners. "This is going to give students a reason to live on campus. As has been the case at other universities around the country, it will replace the student union as the place to go."
Berkey and Hockey Coach Jack Parker (SMG'68, Hon.'97) are cochairing a fundraising drive whose goal is to raise $100 million for the project. BU officials estimate the total cost to be $385 million, including the price of the residence towers currently being constructed at the site. The remainder of the funds required to finance the project will come from a mix of loans, revenue from activities at the site, and internal resources.
The first stage of the development is a new field house -- which will feature a 200-meter track, a field with a throwing area, and four indoor courts for both basketball and tennis -- at what is now a commercial site that includes 80-100 Ashford St. The running track and other athletic facilities now inside the Armory would then be moved to the new field house, clearing the way for a new sports arena and recreation center at the corner of Harry Agganis Way and Commonwealth Avenue.
The arena would host hockey and basketball games and other activities, and seat 6,200 people. Walter Brown Arena, where BU home hockey games now are played, seats only 3,800 and games are frequently sold out.
The recreation center, to be built just east of the arena, would feature six squash courts, six basketball courts, a 50-meter pool, a fitness and wellness center, and several open furnished spaces where students can socialize. The arena and recreation center will include parking for 1,000 cars. The buildings would be separated by a grass area leading to two new residence halls at the back of the site, overlooking the Charles River.
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The $150 million athletic
complex on Commonwealth Avenue will feature a
multiuse recreation center with space for students
to socialize, making it "the place to go" on
campus, according to BU Senior Vice President
Richard Towle. Computer
image courtesy of Cannon Architects
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The current proposal is a modified version of development plans that neighbors had supported almost 10 years ago. BU officials have since decided on more square footage for the two new dormitories.
"It became clear after surveying juniors and seniors that to attract students to campus we need to give them private bedrooms and recreational space," Towle said. "So that took more space, and the arena had to be made smaller." John Berchert of Cannon Architects, which is designing the complex for BU, said at the meeting that the modifications made the overall design more aesthetically pleasing.
"We're going to keep the streetscape at a more human scale," said Berchert. "There will be large glass windows on the front of the building and passersby will be able to see activity within the recreational center from the street."
The development would also create nearly three acres of green, open space, Berchert said.
The proposal elicited no objections from members of PAC, which will vote on the plan and inform the BRA whether or not it supports the project. Plans for the new field house, upon which the rest of the proposed development hinges, will be presented to neighbors in late October.
"The recreation center is two stories lower than it was the last time they presented it to us," said Pamela Beale, chairwoman of PAC and owner of Cornwall's restaurant in Kenmore Square, in an interview after the meeting.
"Commonwealth Avenue won't look chopped up anymore," she continued. "This doesn't seem very controversial. This is all keeping within the parameters of what we had originally agreed to. It's actually better than what we saw before. It better suits students' needs because before there was a lot of retail and administrative uses in the recreation center."
Brighton resident John Bruno, who owns Brookline Bag and Paper and is a member of PAC, said after the meeting that he was generally pleased with the proposal but is concerned that BU break ground on the new residence halls as soon as possible. "Rents around here are skyrocketing," he said, "and for local residents, getting more students back on campus is a priority."
While the timetable for the entire project depends on BU fundraising efforts, Towle said, the field house should be under construction by the end of 2000 if the BRA approves the plan.
"We are committed to this project," Berkey said. "President Westling is behind it and the Board of Trustees has been fully briefed, so we are ready to move ahead as soon as possible."