With several new construction projects in the works, Clemson is poised for growth on campus and beyond
Clemson, like many areas across the Upstate, is experiencing a construction activity renaissance.
On the Clemson University campus, many major projects have recently gotten the green light from the board of trustees. New student housing projects, a new visitors center, new educational centers and upgrades to athletic facilities are all currently in the works.
In the city of Clemson, several mixed-use communities are underway – all to support the growing student and city population.
“Building to Compete” on Campus
Last month, Clemson trustees approved several capital projects including new and renovated housing, athletic and other student-support facilities in accordance with Clemson University’s 2020 road map, a 10-year strategic plan in which one of the objectives is to “build to compete – facilities, infrastructure and technology.”
“Clemson is in better financial health than it was before the recession,” said trustee Bill Hendrix, chairman of the finance and facilities committee.
The $116 million core campus development project is one of the largest projects underway. The project will replace some of Clemson’s oldest student facilities, including Johnstone residence hall, built in the 1950s. Johnstone’s redesign will include 700 beds of housing designed for freshmen and a new 1,000-seat dining hall with retail dining options that will replace the current Harcombe dining hall, said Doug Hallenbeck, associate vice president for student affairs and executive director for university housing and dining. Design work is almost complete, after which the project will go to the state of South Carolina for final approval. Hallenbeck anticipates it being completed fall 2017.
The core campus project will also include a new student-athlete academic enrichment center to be funded by athletics revenues and private gifts. This will allow the university to use the current 26,000-square-foot Vickery Hall, currently being used for academic support associated with student-athletes, for additional academic space.
The trustees also approved revised plans for a $212 million complex on the Douthit Hills site. The housing portion of the project will provide 980 beds for upperclassmen and 750 beds for students in the Bridge to Clemson transfer program at Tri-County Technical College. The new Douthit Hills complex will also have a dining hall, and plans are to move a Barnes and Noble bookstore to the new student hub area on the first floor. Douthit Hills is currently in the planning stage, said Hallenbeck, who hopes it will be completed in 2018.
Upgraded Facilities for the Tigers
The Clemson University trustees also gave approval late last year to a series of proposed athletic facility capital projects. Those include upgrades to Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the third phase of the WestZone complex at Memorial Stadium, and a rebuilt basketball arena at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson’s event venue and basketball arena, will undergo “major renovations” with $70 million approved towards the project. It will include 8,500 seats – 500 at premium level – coaches’ offices, new weight and locker rooms, recruitment gathering spaces and video-editing and theater areas.
“It could be a very different place in just a few years,” said Gerald Vander Mey, director of university planning and design. Renovations may also include excavation and a redesigned coliseum bowl that will be “more theatrical in nature and more intense,” said Vander Mey. “We’re going to amp it up.” Renovations are expected to be completed in late 2016.
At Memorial Stadium, a.k.a. Death Valley, complete suite renovations are planned, including concourse and club areas, a new football operations facility and significant upgrades to the tennis complex, along with the construction of a letter-winner’s area and meeting space. Vander Mey said the suites haven’t been touched in about 35 years and that visitors can expect the space “to really change.”
An oculus, a circular opening in a wall, is also part of the redesign of Memorial Stadium. “It’s really a design expression for the stadium,” said Vander Mey.
Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Clemson’s baseball venue, is getting an $8 million addition. Vander Mey said that new player facilities, locker rooms, exhibition space and offices are all part of the upgrade to the north side of the stadium. “It will be the first time the team has really had a home besides the stadium itself,” he said. Design work is currently underway and a construction manager has been selected. Construction is expected to start soon and be completed late 2015.
Vander Mey said the university will start also planning a new 70,000-square-foot football operations facility at the WestZone later this year.
“Clemson has consistently been in the forefront of athletic facilities and accommodations for our student athletes,” director of athletics Dan Radakovich said. “These projects provide a road map to continuing Clemson’s tradition of excellence in our facilities.”
Showcases Around Campus
The $30 million Watt Family Innovation Center is set to break ground on March 28. Located just south of the library, the building will be a new 40,000-square-foot, highly flexible environment designed with the latest technology, said Vander Mey. “It will be a lot of glass and will really be a showcase,” he said. Science, engineering and technology teaching and research will be housed there.
Freeman Hall, which has seen a lot of different uses over the years, is getting a 25,000-square-foot addition along with a new face. Vander Mey hopes it will become “the new focal point of that part of campus.” Freeman currently houses the Industrial Engineering department.
Planning is also underway at the Clemson Outdoor and Recreation Center located on the beach at Lake Hartwell. New student changing rooms and lockers along with classroom areas will “improve the site and make it much more useful,” according to Vander Mey.
Later this year, Vander Mey also hopes to start planning a new 170,000-square-foot business and behavioral sciences building for those that are currently located in Sirrine Hall. “It will have IT technology like nothing else,” he said.
Plans also call for a new visitors center facility for the 50,000 prospective students, parents and other guests who visit the campus annually, allowing for redirected use of the current Class of 1956 Visitors Center.
The Sheep Barn, which was built on campus at the turn of the century and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be renovated to become the Barnes Center, a place for student activity and engagement, thanks to a $1 million gift from the Barnes family to honor its patriarch. Four generations of Barnes family members have received Clemson diplomas.
“Students want and need a welcoming, accessible and inclusive place to connect on campus in a positive Clemson environment,” said Gail DiSabatino, vice president for student affairs. “As a vibrant student hub on campus, we can meet these needs while preserving and honoring Clemson’s rich and honorable agricultural history through the restoration of this great venue.”
The university has also put together conceptual plans for a new fraternity/sorority village located on the Thornhill Village site. Hallenbeck said that project is “on hold for the time being.”
More Growth in the City
In the city of Clemson, mixed-use projects are leading the charge with an emphasis on student housing. Last month, the City Council approved the Dukes Centre, which was met with opposition from some local residents over concerns about neighborhood impact.
It’s important for communities to embrace change, said developer Tom Winkopp. “Most downtowns in our area with the exception of Greenville and Clemson are dying,” he said.
Construction on the $30 million mixed-use Dukes Centre (named for the family that owned the land) on College Avenue will begin later this year. There will be 17,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, a 491-space parking garage and 293 units for student housing on the five- and six-floor buildings.
Winkopp is also developing The Pier, another student housing project that began in 2008. It’s currently in phase three of the project, which will add another 100 bedrooms, said Winkopp.
The Pier, located at the former J. P. Stevens plant, features cottage homes on Lake Hartwell and is located 2.5 miles from the Clemson campus. The mixed-use development will have 20 acres of green space, a clubhouse with pool, sand volleyball, basketball, golf simulator, cinema room, a workout facility, tanning beds, coffee bar and event room. The community will also eventually have a town center with additional retail and restaurants and is expected to be completed in 2020.
Closer to campus, the Campus View apartments, being developed by Charleston-based McAlister Development Company, are expected to be completed in August 2014. The private luxury student housing community is located on 2.11 acres at 100 Daniel Drive, directly across the street from Clemson’s campus, overlooking Tillman Hall and Bowman Field.
The six-story building will consist of 107 apartments, 352 beds and 172,000 total square feet. Campus View will include a 327-space parking deck with direct access to the building on each level and 10,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor along Earle Street.
Campus View will offer spacious, fully furnished two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments, with each bedroom featuring its own private bathroom. Each apartment will include a spacious living room and a full kitchen with granite countertops and high-end appliances. Community features include a pool with a sundeck and grilling areas, a fitness center, common area study rooms, and an activity room where students can meet and relax.
Patrick Square, a planned community, is already underway. Located three miles from Clemson University, the development will include a lake house overlooking the community’s stocked lake, pool, town center, parks and community garden.
Greenville restaurateur Rick Erwin, whose Rick Erwin Dining Group includes Greenville’s Rick Erwin’s West End Grille, Rick Erwin’s Nantucket Seafood, and Rick’s Deli and Market, broke ground last week on its fourth restaurant, Rick Erwin’s Clemson, in the Patrick Square Town Center.
“I am extremely excited about extending our restaurant family to Clemson, a place that is close to my heart,” said Erwin in a statement. “Clemson has grown so much from just a college town years ago into a bustling community. Families and businesses are moving to the area, and it’s really growing. We are more than happy to be a part of it.”
