FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 05/10/2022
Shaw University Has Begun its Campus Redevelopment
A neighborhood meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 16, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Shaw University announced today that it has begun the process of redeveloping its campus to become Raleigh’s premier urban university. As an HBCU and a significant landowner in downtown Raleigh, the changes that Shaw is requesting from the City will help transform its campus as well as expand the footprint of downtown Raleigh.
These changes began with the implementation of the recommendations from the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Advisory Services Panel Report to Shaw in late fall of 2019. It has continued through the hiring of Hayat Brown, a real estate consulting firm, to assist the university with leveraging its strategic location in downtown Raleigh. Now Shaw is asking the City to rezone much of the University’s property to allow for a significantly higher and denser use.
“All one has to do is look at Shaw’s location and you can see the importance of the University to the future of downtown Raleigh. It sits on major transportation routes. It is across the street from the Performing Arts Center and within sight of the Convention Center. The campus is both historic and contains iconic buildings. Two (2) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines will run adjacent to its grounds. It has large assemblages of property available for redevelopment. And as importantly, it is developing the talent pipeline of the future by nurturing a diverse group of young, educated, and energetic entrepreneurs and leaders” said Kevin Sullivan, Shaw University’s Vice President for Real Estate and Strategic Development.
The first step in the redevelopment process is to rezone the university’s downtown property to remove any development impediments, and to allow for greater flexibility and height to facilitate the growth and sustainability of Shaw in the future. This step is especially important given all the other development already occurring in the area surrounding Shaw’s campus.
President Paulette R. Dillard summed up the future for Shaw University best when she said, “I have this vision, that I will be Raleigh’s urban university and what that means is that the city will be coming and going on my campus as if it’s just another block in the city.”
A neighborhood meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 16, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This meeting will be held at Shaw University, Estey Hall Auditorium, 1st Floor, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh, NC 27601. The meeting is open to all. To allow for maximum participation, the meeting will also be live streamed at https://shawu.zoom.us/j/95483492036
Shaw University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, is the first historically Black institution of higher education founded in North Carolina – and among the oldest in the nation. The University was founded in 1865 by Henry Martin Tupper. Dr. Paulette Dillard currently serves as the University’s 18th President.
For more information, visit: www.shawu.edu
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