Village Activation

Site Analysis 

This site is located south of the McKinley parking garage and west of the University Village. It is located in the Village Overlay zone, which was implemented in 2014 with the construction of the Village Promenade. The overlay zone permits construction to run to the edge of the right of way if necessary, meaning there are no required setbacks within the zone. The property sits on the intersection of University Ave and McKinley Ave, a prime piece of real estate for both Ball State and The Village. Development here would be able to link the Village and Ball State and help spur further involvement from both parties. The sites for the project sit on the edges of both Ball State and the Village. These sites, on either side of University Ave at the intersection of McKinley Ave, are key sites for both the development of the two places. This specific project focuses on the North site, it was selected for the dynamic of being closely tied to the university while also respecting the edge of the Village as well. The north site has remained dormant in construction activity since it was cleared of any structures in 2014. 

The Building 

The program for the building includes; 58-bed hotel (14 single rooms, 44 double rooms) Conference space for events Coffee shop servicing the hotel Student-run restaurant: Allegre The program responds to the need for the University to expand on the current condition of the hotel on campus and to add more beds within the proximity of Ball State and the Village. The closest hotel to the university with exception to the hotel in the Student Center is located 1.25 miles away, with a majority of hotels around 2 miles away. This brings up the second issue of the number of beds at the hotel in the student center, that total is 25 beds. The number of beds is not sufficient if Ball State is planning on hosting multi-day conferences or larger events like graduation.