TCU to develop along Berry
By Meghan Youker
Staff Reporter

By the end of September, TCU’s top administrators say they hope to get their first look at the campus of the future.

Carol Campbell, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said the university will be reviewing the proposals of developers from around the nation regarding plans for TCU’s properties along Berry Street.

TCU sent requests for proposals to developers in several cities including Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Atlanta and Chicago, Campbell said.

“They are the urban planners, designers and developers,” Campbell said. “We expect them to come to us with a lot of great ideas.”

TCU’s main interests are housing and parking, but the proposals are expected to have a substantial retail component, she said. The developers’ ideas may include private apartments, parking spaces, stores and restaurants, Campbell said.

Chancellor Victor Boschini said he has seen urban developments in downtown Chicago with apartments, parking spaces and ice cream shops.

“Imagine sleeping above places where you will spend your money,” Boschini said.

Campbell said the university gave firms few instructions so there is no way to know exactly what the plans will look like. She said one instruction was to consider only the properties that TCU now owns. However, Campbell said she would not be surprised if firms looked beyond the university’s property.

TCU owns various properties on Berry Street, from Stadium Drive to McCart Street, according to a map provided by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Don Mills.

“Our hope is that the proposals will include ideas that we can work off for the next 20 years,” Campbell said.

Campbell said TCU sent out a request for development proposals in late July, after the university acquired the last three condominiums in the Bellaire House Condominiums. Campbell declined to comment on to whom the proposals were sent.

The desire to have attractive student housing next to the campus and the need to improve the parking situation were major considerations, Campbell said.

“The university has been quietly assembling property for some time,” Campbell said. “We came to the conclusion that we had sufficient property to make development feasible.”

Boschini said the university hopes to create an extension of the campus that blends TCU to the city of Fort Worth.
“There are 8,000 consumers at this university,” Boschini said. “And what is good for students is also good for the business area.”

Boschini said the university will consider residents and businesses to make sure they support future developments.

“I plan to be a good neighbor,” Boschini said. “I will not force anyone out.”

Campbell said the university sent firms a disk of materials prepared by the Berry Street Initiative, which contains the city’s plans to develop and beautify Berry Street. The university has also been working with Mike Reilly, a real estate consultant.

“The university will keep in mind the city’s urban village concept for Berry Street,” Mills said.

Boschini said the university will continue to own its property and TCU will not finance any private developments.

“Whether we give a developer a nine-year lease or charge rent month by month, the university won’t make a big investment either way,” Boschini said.

Boschini said the possibilities for the properties along Berry Street are endless and the land has the potential to answer all his questions regarding TCU’s future.

“We have the opportunity to do something that in 25 years, students, faculty and staff will all enjoy,” Boschini said.