WMU set to review proposals for East campus redevelopment

By the end of March, Western Michigan University officials hope to have selected a development plan for East Campus, the historic section of campus that currently is nearly vacant.

Last fall, WMU put out a call for private developers to submit proposals to redevelop the four buildings there. Prospective developers recently took a pre-bid tour and offered questions on the project to redevelop the 35-acres and five buildings, some that date back to 1904.

About a dozen parties showed up for the session, and Vice President for Business and Finance Lowell Rinker says university officials hope at least half those will submit proposals.

Answers to the questions posed in the pre-bid tour are being prepared and will go out to all those who attended, Rinker says. “We are hoping that at least half of the parties who have indicated interest so far will actually submit proposals. That would give us at least a half dozen to review and compare.”

East Hall, West Hall, North Hall and the Speech and Hearing Building are the four buildings private parties have been asked to consider redeveloping. Those four buildings total more than 225,000 square feet. Vandercook Hall, a residence hall built in 1939 and located across Oakland Drive from the site, could also be made available for development.

The school has indicated the architectural integrity of any building selected for redevelopment must be preserved, but other than that, the school remains open to any economically viable idea.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Lowell Rinker, Western Michigan University