Ball State University Moving to Saxony
Ball State University Moving to Saxony
Thursday, January 14, 2010 - Indianapolis Star
January 14, 2010 - Paraphrased Article
By: Carrie Ritchie
Ball State University is moving its Fishers facility to Saxony, a mix of homes and offices on the town's northeast side. The nearly 3,000-square-foot space will be larger than the school's current home in an office building on Lantern Road. "We're moving, really, to manage our growth," said Kelly Favory, director of greater Indianapolis distance education programs.
But that's not the only benefit.
The new location near I-69's Exit 10 will be convenient for students and professors, and it will be next to Fishers' proposed Medical Technology Corridor, a massive development that could attract potential students, Favory said. The Fishers facility will continue to offer graduate courses in a variety of subjects, including education and business, which could be beneficial to young professionals who eventually could live and work in the corridor, Favory said.
The school will have three classrooms, including a computer lab, on the second floor of the Bonn Building on 131st Street just west of Olio Road. The Bonn Building already houses some businesses, but part of it is still available for lease.
It's uncertain when the new facility will open, but it should be sometime this winter, Favory said. Ball State already has begun moving and plans to host an open house in its new home Feb. 4.
The school will be a "natural fit" in Saxony, a 750-acre mixed-use development that straddles Fishers and Noblesville, said Rick Arnos, president of Republic Development, which created Saxony. The development already has several homes on the Fishers side and a growing business park on the Noblesville side, so higher education programs could be valuable to the area, he said.
The District at Saxony, a 269-unit, $24 million apartment complex, will be partially finished later this year and some units will be available for rent, so that could be a convenient home for students, Arnos said.
Arnos wanted education to be part of Saxony since he began planning it. He hopes to attract more educational facilities as the area continues to develop. "We think that we've just scratched the surface," Arnos said. "We think that there is significant demand (for education) and that demand will grow."
See also: Inside Indiana Business
