SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Nov. 14, 2011 — Drury University is pleased that the Springfield City Council voted to re-zone Drury’s property at the corner of North Summit Avenue and East Webster Street, and that it adopted the redevelopment plan for that property. With those decisions by Springfield’s City Council, Drury plans to move forward with a new student housing development. Groundbreaking is scheduled for December with a targeted completion by fall 2012.
On Oct. 28, Drury’s board of trustees approved a plan for a 72-bed, LEED silver housing unit and community center for students. The community center will be a rehabilitated, historic house where Rose O’Neill, an early twentieth-century artist best known for creating the Kewpie doll, once lived. The apartment-style buildings will house four students per unit and feature private bathrooms.
“This is a forward-looking decision and one that will allow Drury to recruit and retain outstanding students for decades,” said Lynn Chipperfield, chairman of Drury’s board of trustees. “It represents further evidence of Drury’s continuing commitment to growth and to offering the best facilities for our students.”
Drury is collaborating with developer Bryan Magers to build the housing. Magers will construct the properties, and Drury will lease the housing from Magers.
“For Drury, this was an entrepreneurial way to build much-needed, on-campus housing for our students,” says Drury President Todd Parnell. “Drury’s strategic plan has aggressive goals to increase enrollment as well as the percentage of students that live on-campus. This development will help us achieve those goals. Drury has done business with Bryan Magers before, and that relationship gave the administration a great deal of confidence that this plan will be a win for our students and the university.”
Media Contact: Mark Miller, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, Office: (417) 873-7390, Mobile: (417) 839-2886, E-mail: markmiller@drury.edu
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