Meeting to discuss proposed retirement community

The state Board of Regents will hold a special meeting Tuesday, May 10, on The University of Montana campus to hear public comment on the proposed South Campus Community project.

The meeting begins at 2 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. President George Dennison will give a brief overview of the University’s master plan for the 150-acre South Campus. The master plan includes building an adjunct campus — complete with a smaller version of the Oval and academic buildings — as campus grows. As part of that plan, the University is considering a residential community for retired faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

The Regents called the meeting in Missoula because they were concerned the issue of the South Campus Community might be lost in the full agenda for the board’s regular meeting May 19-20 in Billings. Members also believe the proposed community is an important enough issue for future growth of the campus and Missoula communities to justify a special meeting to focus on the- topic. Regents Chair John Mercer said the board will decide at the meeting whether plans for the project are to proceed.

The developers — led by UM alumnus Walt Brett, who helped add some 4,000 extra seats to Washington-Grizzly Stadium two years ago — will present four proposed neighborhoods or phases of the residential component of the master plan. The proposal includes integrating a new golf learning center with biking, walking and hiking trails into the neighborhoods of some 500 living units built as cottage homes, condominiums and duplexes for active seniors.

Dennison said the proposed development makes good sense for UM, adding that the public should be assured the University will not shortchange academic needs in order to build this community.

The proposed community would provide a steady revenue stream to supplement UM’s financial needs, turning the South Campus land into an asset that can generate money to help students.

The University expects to earn about $1 million a year from the proposed residential community, and Dennison said that money would help defer rising tuition costs.

Over the past 12 years tuition has increased by more than 100 percent while state support has dwindled to about 12 percent of the University’s overall institutional budget.

For Missoula County, the residential community would generate an estimated $715,000 in real-estate tax revenues that currently don’t exist, said Bob Duringer, UM vice president for administration and finance. In addition, developers say the project would spur $50 million in construction, creating jobs for the area.

As with similar developments at other universities nationwide, the Missoula project would become a unique component of UM, and its residents would have the opportunity to be fully integrated into University life.

The community, Dennison said, will connect retirees with lifelong learning opportunities, which is part of the University’s mission. UM students will benefit from interaction with alumni, professors and staff who can serve as mentors.

A survey of campus employees and alumni conducted over the winter by the UM Alumni Association showed strong interest in the residential community development. A majority of those who responded said they found the concept “very appealing” or “somewhat appealing.”

Since the first of the year, developers and UM officials have held a series of public forums and meetings to seek input on the proposed project and to hear peoples’ concerns.

This type of project isn’t a new idea. With millions of baby boomers getting ready to retire, a growing number of universities have expanded their mission and vision to include campus-based planned communities for retired faculty, staff, alumni and friends. Recently Duringer and Rosi Keller, associate vice president for administration and finance, traveled to several such communities to see what worked and what didn’t.

“The University’s expansion into this service area neither dilutes our academic core nor lessens our focus on students,” Duringer said. “It simply adds another dimension to our educational and outreach mission and further diversifies our campus culture. It also provides some of the financial stability we will need to remain viable and vibrant in the years ahead.”