Pace U. Begins $150M Campus Revitalization Project

PLEASANTVILLE, NY-Pace University broke ground on Wednesday on a multi-phased $150-million project to improve and revitalize its Pleasantville campus.

Pace officials were joined by Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino at the groundbreaking ceremony at the 200-acre Pleasantville campus, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Construction has now begun on the first phase of the project estimated at approximately $100 million.

A critical facet of the university's master plan is the consolidation of activities at its Briarcliff campus to the Pleasantville campus. The university recently put the 37-acre Briarcliff campus, which the university has owned since 1977, on the market for sale. No classes are held at the Briarcliff campus, however, there are 590 student beds that will eventually be relocated to new or remodeled student housing facilities on the Pleasantville campus.

Students housed at the Briarcliff campus travel by shuttle bus to attend classes at Pleasantville or other Pace campuses. Currently 690 students reside on the Pleasantville campus. In addition, administrative staff at the Briarcliff campus will be relocated to Pleasantville. Pace officials say that if construction on the revitalization of the Pleasantville campus goes as planned, the Briarcliff campus could be closed by sometime in 2016.

William McGrath, senior vice president and chief administrative officer of Pace University, said, “It's been three long years of study, work and planning to develop a vision for the Pleasantville campus. Today marks an important milestone in implementing a vision that will completely transform this campus into a suburban residential campus that will elevate our academic mission and elevate our distinctive identity… This groundbreaking today marks the beginning of a new journey for us—the next generation of the Pace community.”

Pace President Stephen J. Friedman added, “Today we break ground to make concrete a major re-envisioning of Pace in Westchester. In all of this we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. And as we break ground we once again commit ourselves to the future of this great university.”

The first phase of the project (Phase1A) will entail the construction of two new residential buildings, an expanded student center, the relocation of the environmental center and athletic facilities to replace those being vacated at the Briarcliff campus. Also planned are infrastructure improvements, more open green space and improvements to pedestrian accessibility.

Construction on Phase 1 A is expected to take two-and-a-half to three years to complete. In the first phase, the university will add approximately 800 student beds at its Pleasantville campus, which includes the replacement of nearly 600 student beds at the Briarcliff campus. Pace officials said the master plan calls for the Pleasantville campus to increase its student bed capacity from 690 to 1,400 beds. The plan also calls for the relocation of campus parking out of its campus core.

Another key facet of the phase now underway will be securing LEED-certification for its new residence halls and LEED Gold certification for its new Environmental Center.

More than 100 Pace officials, students and business and political leaders attended the groundbreaking. Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino said at the event, “Today, we break ground on a project that will make Pace even better, not just in terms of modern 'green' buildings, but in terms of what it will offer its future students. Apart from the Tappan Zee Bridge project, this is the largest construction project going on in our county today.”