Even as West-Edens Link construction progresses and students await Main West Campus renovations, administrators and other planners are already thinking about the next step for student residences.
For several years administrators have focused their attention on West-Edens Link construction, creation of a new quad system and the elimination of Trent Drive Hall, but now they say they are ready to begin serious planning for Central Campus renovations.
The Board of Trustees discussed the future of Central at its meeting this past weekend, and Tallman Trask, executive vice president, said he has begun conversations with potential developers to rebuild the campus' 30-year-old apartments.
"We want a complete reconception of Central Campus," Trask said. "If this is as good as an idea as I think it is, why not have someone help us create a mixed-use, residential community with offices and food."
In addition to adding mixed-use space, administrators, in accordance with the University's master plan, envision an area with redesigned apartments modeled after Ninth Street, a closer connection to the Sarah P. Duke Gardens and possibly space for faculty members and more graduate and professional students.
For many current residents, rethinking Central is a welcome idea.
"A lot of people kind of view Central as this vast expanse that, even though it's named OCentral,' is not very centralized," said senior Elizabeth Hansen, president of Central Campus Council. "We've just been kind of developing ideas for where students should go. We're looking at having denser student populations in the form of living arrangements, like more traditional apartments, as well as at better community interactions."
Together with Duke Student Government, Central Campus Council conducted a survey of 63 apartment residents to find out the most common complaints and their suggestions for both short- and long-term solutions.
The respondents often cited a number of concerns, including safety, transportation, the structure and condition of apartments and the lack of dining and social space.
Hansen and others plan to develop temporary solutions this summer for some complaints, such as safety and parking, but in developing a new vision for Central they hope to address the lack of food venues and social space. Such current deficiencies prevent the growth of a closer community, said Maggie Peloso, who worked on the survey as a member of DSG's residential life committee.
"A lot of people feel there's not a community on Central, and they often point to the lack of social space where people can interact, places to congregate other than the volleyball court and basketball court," said Peloso, a freshman. "If the University devoted resources, they could really create a more vibrant space."
Those resources may come in the form of an outside developer. All recent dorm construction on campus--including the WEL and Blackwell and Randolph dormitories--have been built by the University, with only design and construction by outside companies. For Central, administrators are considering leasing the land to a developer, who would build residences at his own expense.
The idea is common at many schools, said Judith White, assistant vice president and director of the residential program review.
She said the University would likely retain some control of design and cost. "The first advantage is that it's someone else's money. The second is that you sometimes want someone else's expertise in developing mixed-use land," White said. "We usually build science buildings, and residence halls and hospitals."
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