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I was searching around for bids and I found this one for MUSOM. It is the "development of a pharmacy, administrative, student residence, and elevated parking, utilities and infrastructure, outdoor areas and open space areas, with associated roadways, parking, and landscaping, for Marshall University School of Medicine." The timeline is to have it substantially completed by summer 2018. This is moving fast.
The RFQ doesn't explicitly mention the site, but states that it'll be "located on approximately 6.3 acres to include a 50,000 sq. ft. pharmacy/academic building, rental housing for approximately 220 medical and graduate level students and elevated parking to accommodate the new facilities." The Northcott site is only 4.1 acres, but if the rest of the houses in that block were included, it comes to 6.3 acres. There's no other site in the area that is that large, unless they took half of CHH's parking lots. This would be the first time I've seen even a tangential reference that those houses would be bought (though it was assumed).
The RFQ doesn't explicitly mention the site, but states that it'll be "located on approximately 6.3 acres to include a 50,000 sq. ft. pharmacy/academic building, rental housing for approximately 220 medical and graduate level students and elevated parking to accommodate the new facilities." The Northcott site is only 4.1 acres, but if the rest of the houses in that block were included, it comes to 6.3 acres. There's no other site in the area that is that large, unless they took half of CHH's parking lots. This would be the first time I've seen even a tangential reference that those houses would be bought (though it was assumed).
At first, I thought that you must be mistaken suggesting that the Northcott site would be the location of a new MU building. HOWEVER, the description provided pretty much matches what has been provided for the site with the exception of a grocery store. I mean it has been mentioned many times that the Northcott will have graduate student housing and a parking garage. This could very well be the same project, but honestly, I would like it if it were separate. Because that would mean more for Huntington obviously.
Wow! This would be a huge development and very exciting! I love the aggressive timeline for completion; so I would assume that construction would be starting sometime this summer or fall? I do not see how it could be the Northcott Court site, as the timeline for completion of demolition as previously outlined by officials, does not really seem to coincide with this new construction timeline. I figured that it was only a matter of time before MUSOM was forced to start physically expanding to meet the demands of their continuously expanding residency and fellowship programs (Psychiatry is underway, Neurology likely will be approved very soon, and Hem-Onc fellowship recently approved, and several others are in the works) in addition to the agreement w/ St. George's Medical School in London for student's to come to our facilities to complete clerkships. Also, something that has not been mentioned, but is in the works and will very likely come to fruition is the addition of a School of Dentistry, which will also require state of the art facilities and will bring many more students to the area. It is conceivable that the facility could be built on CHH's expansive and sprawling parking lots, if they were willing to construct a parking facility (as is suggested in the proposal); this is an area that has been highlighted in past MU Master Plans for expansion of the MUSOM Medical Center. CHH desperately needs a parking structure and so will this new facility; this is certainly possible.
I just saw that there was an addendum to the RFQ. It clarifies the site and some other info; the site in question is the existing campus where the Byrd Clinical Center is.
Quote:
Due to the University’s ownership and control of approximately 6.3 acres of property where Marshall University’s Byrd Clinical Center and Forensic Science Center are presently located, hereafter referred to as the “Fairfield Site”, the University wishes to study the feasibility of adding these new facilities to the Fairfield Site. No other property options are to be studied at this time.
So not the Northcott site, which means there's still room to grow there!
When they put their plan out for the Byrd Center Campus a few years ago, they drew up a plan with a building in the parking lot between the Byrd Center and the Forensics Center. I have a hard time believing that is 6.3 Acres though. It would also make sense for that to be solely an Academic building though rather than housing. I saw the plan but wonder if the space over the existing parking wouldn't best be used for further academic buildings in order to expand the JCESOM.
I've heard that Marshall purchased the Prindle Field area (just the Field on the Huntington Ave side, not the baseball field)and wonder if this might be part of the area in question, even though not indicated on the map? It would be an appropriate place for residential units and I could see some nice green space there with the academic buildings all lumped together on the other property. That would be a pretty attractive area for Med School students, living so close to CHH, Ritter Park, JCESOM, etc. This would also likely spur further housing development in this area.
I've said for years that the Park Board should sell that area to Marshall and then purchase some of the land around the AD Lewis Center with the funds. They could then put new baseball fields in, fix up the track and football field there, add soccer fields, etc to have a nice sports complex. Doing this would really spruce up that area.
Last edited by tbailey1138; 02-08-2016 at 08:44 PM..
It's also worth mentioning that there are several houses surrounding the BCC that have been boarded up for some time now and I assume are scheduled to be demolished (hopefully in the near future) which may play into any future development plans. The most recent MU Master Plan (2013) shows that in addition to the proposed medical education/forensics/research building between the current BCC and Forensic Science building, there is an area labeled "possible long-term opportunity for joint planning and development with C-H Hospital to improve clinical, research, and medical education district." This area is the site where CHH just completed construction of a new parking lot (yet another expansive parking lot to take up valuable space), so I am not sure if this area would be used for this proposal or not. I agree w/ tbailey that the area between the BCC and Forensic Science Center is not 6.3 acres, however if you would add in the aforementioned lot where the new parking lot is between the BCC and the CHH Outpatient Surgery Center, it may be closer to 6.3 acres.
If you include the BCC and the Forensics building, that entire lot, which is under Marshall's control, is almost exactly 6.3 acres. I don't think, for the purposes of this RFQ, that any area outside that lot (bounded by Charleston/Columbia/14th/15th) is part of the proposal. Indeed, the sketches in Addendum 1 only include this area.
Long-term, though, I agree that Prindle Field and the surgery center area, along with the area between Northcott and CHH, should be priority expansion/redevelopment areas. I don't know if one exists, but there needs to be a Medical District Comprehensive Plan between CHH, Marshall, and the City to direct the development of the area. Everything is piecemeal so far, and though everything seems to be growing closer together, it needs to be cohesive. We can have all these developments, but they need to all work in concert to meet the needs of the surrounding community, transportation corridors (vehicular and pedestrian), and so forth. We could finally see that ped bridge over Hal Greer at Columbia/13th. Even simple collaborations go far. There's a new signal by the Children's Hospital turnaround and El Ranchito. Has there been any thought to complement that with a safer crossing of 12th St/Enslow from Washington Blvd to Ritter Park? If those were in place, the City could work with property owners along Washington Blvd/Boulevard Ave to complete the sidewalks between Hal Greer and 12th/Enslow. Boom, now you have a direct, attractive connection between CHH and Ritter Park. It's the little things.
Last edited by elewis7; 02-09-2016 at 08:49 AM..
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