By Ball State Marketing and Communications—
MUNCIE, Indiana – Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns invites campus and local community members to two presentations about the University’s plan to revitalize The Village, the business district located immediately adjacent to campus.
The first presentation—for students, faculty, and staff—will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at Pruis Hall on Ball State’s campus. Parking will be available in the New York Parking Garage.
The second presentation—for the general public—will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts, 520 E. Main St., Muncie, IN 47305. The event will be on the third floor in the Legacy Room. Parking will be available in the Cornerstone Center for the Arts parking lots off Washington Street.
Ball State’s Village revitalization plan will create a best-in-class, multigenerational district driven by arts and culture, entertainment, and innovation with a new select service hotel, new dining, retail, service, living, and gathering options.
The catalyst for the plan is a new Performing Arts Center (PAC), a modern venue for Ball State Theatre and Dancestudents that is expected to host more than 160 University performances and draw more than 35,000 people to The Village each year to attend those performances. The PAC, a two-story structure located at the northeast corner of University and McKinley Avenues in Muncie, will include a main stage theater with seating for 425 spectators and a studio “black box” theater with seating for 175 spectators.
Connected to the PAC will be a Tapestry by Hilton Hotel franchise—an upscale, four-story hotel with a total of 95 guest rooms, including seven suites, as well as a ground-floor bar and restaurant and a rooftop bar and lounge.
Construction on the PAC and hotel could begin in Fall 2024 and be completed by Fall 2026.
Other sites in the Village Revitalization Plan include:
- Retail and restaurant tenants, as well as apartments, on the southeast corner of University and McKinley Avenues. A potential start date for construction is yet to be determined.
- Ball State’s new Center for Innovation, located at the southeast corner of Ashland Avenue and Martin Street, just south of the new Alderdice Gates. The facility will leverage University resources to promote entrepreneurship and business expansion in the region. Construction on the Center for Innovation could begin in Fall 2024 and be completed by Summer 2026.
- For-sale townhomes/condos and apartments, located between North and Gilbert Streets. A first phase of construction could begin in Fall 2024 and be completed by Summer 2026.
The Ball State Board of Trustees approved five important contracts to advance the implementation of The Village revitalization plan, including: Build Operate Transfer agreements that authorize the University to sign agreements with development firm Fairmount Properties to lead the design and construction of the PAC and the Center for Innovation; the execution of a 75-year ground lease with Indianapolis-based Schahet Hotels to build and operate the Tapestry by Hilton Hotel; and two purchase agreements that enable the University to acquire a total of seven properties located on two Village sites.
The University’s ability to formally execute all agreements relative to The Village revitalization plan is conditioned on receiving approval from several state entities, including the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
The University has prioritized revitalizing The Village, which has experienced a slow, steady decline in recent years. In Ball State’s ambitious strategic plan, Destination 2040: Our Flight Path, community engagement is one of the University’s primary goals. Implementing a long-term, phased plan to revitalize The Village is a key strategic imperative of that goal.
About Ball State
Founded in 1918 and located in Muncie, Ball State University is one of Indiana’s premier universities and an economic driver for the state. Ball State’s 20,000 students come from all over Indiana, the nation, and the world. The 790-acre campus is large enough to accommodate first-rate facilities and 19 NCAA Division I sports, but our welcoming and inclusive campus is small enough to ensure the friendliness, personal attention, and access that are the hallmarks of the University. Destination 2040: Our Flight Path establishes Ball State’s ambitious goals for our second century. We Fly!
