TCU reveals new details for major expansion of housing, parking and athletic buildings
Riding around campus on a golf cart, TCU President Daniel W. Pullin waves at passing staff and students, many of whom he knows by name.
Campus was bustling Monday morning, and not just because it was the first day of fall semester classes. Construction on South University Drive had finished just hours earlier, opening for students to use the new crosswalks. Elsewhere, crews were continuing to work on new buildings and other major improvements.
But that’s just the start of what TCU leaders are envisioning for their fast-growing campus.
The Star-Telegram toured TCU with Pullin on Monday to learn more about the projects. The university also released extensive details of its campus master plan for the first time.
A 26-page executive summary highlights the sprawling scope of TCU’s vision for the campus’ future as the university works to expand facilities amid record enrollment growth. If the entire master plan is built out, it would add 25 new buildings, including academic spaces, dormitories, parking garages and sports facilities.
The document does not include cost estimates for the projects, but the university expects to eventually launch a fundraising campaign.
Pullin said about 6,500 people responded to a survey inviting students, faculty, community members and alumni to give feedback on TCU’s planning efforts, which have been in development for years.
TCU could have as many as 15,000 undergraduate students by 2033 if its growth continues, according to a study conducted by consulting firm Brailsford & Dunlavey. The campus population grows by about 3.5% each year. Enrollment has skyrocketed over the past decade, increasing almost 29% between fall 2013 and fall 2023, straining some resources like student housing.
Pullin said TCU has about 12,000 students this fall, and the university had to be very deliberate when allocating housing. Aligning housing stock and academic resources with enrollment growth is a major focus of the master plan.
“We’re working very hard to create an environment where students can live, learn, work and play, all without having to leave the ecosystem of TCU,” Pullin said.
TCU is also working on a strategic plan, a document outlining the direction for non-physical development, such as academic programs, enrollment targets and TCU’s impact on the community. Pullin said details will likely be released in 2025, if approved by the board of trustees.
Building the “place to be”
A major focus of the master plan is West Berry Street, a mostly commercial corridor bordering TCU’s campus. Ten of the new buildings proposed in the plan are in blocks along West Berry Street, highlighting TCU’s goal of making the area Fort Worth’s “place to be.”
The plan could add as many as three mixed-use residential buildings and three academic facilities along West Berry. Parking garages would be added to support new development. A new biomedical facility and green space west of Sandage Avenue, a proposed “gateway” to the campus, could also be on the horizon.
TCU appears to be interested in using private development to spur the corridor’s makeover. The master plan summary says private development could build up the south side of the street, which TCU does not own. Developers may also play a role on much of the seven blocks on the north side of the street, which the university does own.
“New development could be executed by TCU or by the private sector, leveraging their industry expertise in mixed-use development,” the plan summary document states.
The master plan is a “vision” for the university’s future, not a set plan for construction. Still, plans for transformative development are underway.
TCU has already filed permits for the construction of two new-mixed use buildings, a parking garage and two story retail building off of West Berry Street, near the campus store. Plans must be approved by City Council before the project can move forward. Though it’s unclear when construction may start, merchants along the corridor are looking forward to new development.
Housing hub
Master planning also focuses on adding new academic and medical school facilities, improving campus walkability and creating access to the Trinity River trails from campus.
The master plan proposes transforming the eastern side of campus into a residential hub with 3,000 new beds for students on property now used for parking.
The first portion of this transformation is almost complete. Two new dorms and a dining hall are slated to be finished in January.
“This is a very tangible preview of the progress that we anticipate, but we think there is so much more to come in another five or ten years,” Pullin said.
He said the university plans to move some students in right away when construction wraps up, though the dorm may not be completely full until next fall.
“If we start with a student population or two that has real need for housing and provide extra care, so they have the best experience possible, then we’ll be really ready to scale up for occupancy come fall of ‘25,” he said.
Expanding campus
The university envisions revamping the athletics area, better connecting it to the rest of the campus. A proposed new residence hall would create a “village environment” for student athletes.
Two new sports facilities are part of the plan — an Olympic sports and indoor tennis building, and a facility for ROTC and club sports. Expansion of Lupton Baseball Stadium, Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium and an existing recreation center are also part of the proposal.
The master planning summary also reveals TCU’s intent to gradually expand its presence in the Medical District. The university recently finished construction on the 100,000-square-foot Burnett School of Medicine, at 1651 W. Rosedale St.
Though no additional buildings for the area are proposed in the master plan, the university could partner with private developers.
Pullin hopes to maintain TCU’s community atmosphere as the university grows.
“A lot of universities, particularly really large ones, sometimes students or their families are nervous. They’ll go and get lost or just be a number, but I would say at TCU, it’s not a place to get lost,” he said. “It’s a place you come to get found.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 5:15 PM.
