Oct 29, 2012 3 min read

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University has announced it is partnering with Paradigm Development Group LLC to build a $70 million residential and retail complex called University Place, a project school officials say will transform a blighted section of Morgantown and create much-needed quality housing. The work is expected to be done by the fall semester of 2014, but the demolition of existing houses and at least one bar will begin in late December or early January. WVU said Friday it will immediately begin contacting affected students to help them find other housing for the spring semester. Last week, WVU’s Board of Governors approved a $14.5 million real estate deal with Paradigm and RCL Holding for 39 parcels on 5 acres in the run-down section of Morgantown that’ has long been dominated by old student housing. The designers are Grimm and Parker Architects of Calverton, Md. WVU President Jim Clements said the project is a transformative initiative for a part of town that needs it. It also supports WVU’s master plan, which includes creating more housing to accommodate expanding enrollment. Narvel Weese, vice president for administration and finance, said the area is near Summit and Honors halls, a few blocks from the downtown campus. With 297,000 square feet of rentable space and 268,000 square feet of student space – or about 980 beds in 265 apartments – University Place promises to be “amazing,” Weese said. The plan calls for two multistory buildings and 2 acres for about 400 parking spaces. The residential units will have private bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchens, wireless high-speed Internet, air conditioning and laundry facilities – amenities that, Weese said, students have long requested. “In a time when other parts of the country are suffering economically, Morgantown and WVU keep making smart investments that keep the community economically viable,” he said. Townhouses also are planned, separated from the two main buildings by a pedestrian path. Mayor Jim Manilla said the new construction not only will have a long-term positive impact on the community, but could help curtail the street and trash bin fires that students have made the area known for. The development also will include nearly 30,000 square feet of retail space, with tenants expected to include a grocery store, a restaurant and a fitness center. A substation for WVU Police also is planned; officers currently set up command centers outside Summit Hall when they’re bracing for postgame revelry and rioting. University Place is expected to generate $1.5 million in construction-related business and occupational taxes in the early phases, plus taxes on student housing and retail rents in the future. Down the road, officials like Manilla hope the neighborhood will attract other businesses. Just last month, WVU acquired more than 25 acres, including rental properties, three other lots and an unoccupied apartment building, for about $10 million. Last year, WVU bought the Augusta apartment complex property out of bankruptcy for $13.1 million. WVU has been aggressive about acquiring property when it makes sense, and Board of Governors Chairman Drew Payne said Thursday that people should expect that to continue “where it makes sense for the university and the city,” particularly around the Evansdale campus. Paradigm attorney Brian Helmick said University Place is a model for public-private partnerships and described the finished product as “a modern and architecturally pleasing mixed-use development.”