SALEM — Gov. Charlie Baker’s Administration has recommended that Avalon Bay Communities Inc. and WinnCompanies serve as the development team for the sale and redevelopment of Salem State University’s 23-acre property known as South Campus.
The recommended proposal includes the construction of market rate and affordable housing, the historic adaptive reuse of existing campus buildings, and enhanced accessibility to the Forest River Conservation Area.
“We are pleased to recommend Avalon Bay Communities Inc. and WinnCompanies as the development team for this exciting project that will transform underutilized university property into a thoughtful solution for housing needs in the area,” said Michael Heffernan, Secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. “This initiative will bring long-term benefits to Salem State and its students and to the broader Salem community.”
The South Campus reuse is part of SSU BOLD: A Campus Unification and Modernization Project, which seeks to address major capital needs identified in the 2013 Campus Master Vision. SSU BOLD aims to establish “a compact and efficient campus core,” according to the program’s mission statement.
“I am pleased that our long-sought efforts to transform Salem State’s physical campus through SSU BOLD have reached yet another milestone with this recommendation,” said SSU President John D. Keenan. “This important step brings us closer to our goal of a consolidated campus footprint and allows us to re-invest in our campus infrastructure, which will greatly enhance the student experience.”
SSU BOLD also includes the construction of a Meier Hall addition to house modern and flexible teaching labs, as well as a renovation of the now-vacant Horace Mann Building to house South Campus programming.
The university’s development team and Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) will now work together to negotiate and execute a purchase and sale agreement. The final closing will likely take place within a year following the agreement’s completion.
“The proposal submitted by the Avalon Bay Communities, Inc. and WinnCompanies is extremely advantageous to the Commonwealth, Salem State University and the City of Salem, bringing in funds to reinvest in the university’s physical campus and much-needed affordable housing to the community,” said DCAMM Commissioner Carol Gladstone. “We look forward to working with the development team to reach a final closing.”
Rachel Barber can be reached at [email protected].
