This semester has marked the beginning of serious planning for the land east of campus, and while many at Penn are aware that efforts now may direct the University for decades to come, different Penn constituencies have varying goals for the land.
The postal lands -- a 24-acre property Penn bought from the U.S. Postal Service for $50.6 million in March 2004-- will officially belong to the University in January 2007.
So far, the planning has aimed to explore University needs and the infrastructural capacity of the land.
The Campus Development Planning Committee, chaired by Provost Ron Daniels and Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, plans to submit a report next month outlining the major issues and recommendations that have been discussed over the past semester.
The report will summarize the architectural possibilities drafted by Sasaki Associates -- the firm hired to develop the land -- and review concerns raised by various groups on campus.
Officials say that the development will not only look at the possibility of new facilities, but also at the relocation of present ones.
The goal is to create a 24-hour space with mixed purposes, said Gary Hack, dean of the School of Design and a Campus Development Planning Committee member.
Different areas, or so-called "corridors," of the space will likely be designated for specific uses, but the University does not have a detailed outline of the specific buildings for each section.
Students, however, have their own ideas for the land.
According to Cynthia Wong, a Wharton senior and Undergraduate Assembly member who serves on the committee for campus development, one concern is the quantity of housing, both for graduate students and undergraduates. Wong added that this is one of the needs most frequently voiced in interviews she has conducted with over 75 undergraduate student leaders.
Two other sought-after items are a better student center and more green space, Wong said.
She added that the committee is continuing to solicit student opinion through a school-wide survey that was sent via e-mail Sunday evening.
Many members of the faculty, however, see different potential in the postal lands.
Faculty Senate Chairwoman Neville Strumpf said that "research space, laboratory space, office space are always an issue."
Faculty are also interested in a space to host academic conferences, Principal Planner for Facilities and Real Estate Services Mark Kocent said.
Others are mindful of Penn's place in the city as a whole. In terms of infrastructural capabilities, the University is looking into increasing access to the river and bridging the gap to Center City.
The University is considering building a plaza that will extend from Franklin Field and over mass transit lines to the fields along Convention Avenue.
This would provide a continuous pedestrian link all the way from Locust Walk to Center City.
"Financially, it would be tricky. We would have to find partners in the city," Kocent said, adding that the bridge would be a "gateway ... and a real iconic element" for Philadelphia.
To add to the challenge, scattered strips of land in the acquired property are actually not owned by the Postal Service and therefore may not be acquired by the University. Those pieces of land include a segment of 30th Street that is rarely used, but still owned, by the city.
Part of Penn's upcoming job is to negotiate with these various groups to earn rights to the strips of land, Kocent said.
The final report on development recommendations is due in June to University President Amy Gutmann.
Senior Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik said, though there are many ideas circulating, they may not all be feasible financially.
Gutmann agreed.
"We need to do feasibility studies ... until we have an implementation schedule," she said.
Fundraising will not be the only financing option. Penn is looking at leasing the land to private developers that might pay for the cost of building apartments.
Yet Kocent said the focus of the land will definitely be on Penn.
"The idea is that the University will always be here," he said.
Looking east - The Campus Development Planning Committee will release a progress report next month - The committee hopes to bring a range of retail, residential and recreational facilities to the postal lands east of campus - The group released a survey on Sunday to garner student input on potential uses for the property
