AMHERST — Bringing building projects to the University of Massachusetts campus that would serve students, faculty and employees, and at the same time provide tax revenue to the town, could be possible under so-called public-private partnerships.
With the UMass-Boston campus breaking ground this week on a $120 million, 260,000-square-foot residence hall, representing the first of these collaborations involving the UMass system, campus officials in Amherst are preparing to issue what are known as “requests for information,” or RFI’s, that will give private developers the chance to suggest projects that could be developed on state-owned property.
The University-Town of Amherst Collaborative, formed in 2015 as a recommendation from a report filed by consultant U3 Advisors of Philadelphia, was recently informed about the progress toward these public-private partnerships.
Nancy Buffone, associate vice chancellor for university relations, said putting out these requests will help gauge interest in development opportunities that might be viable at various UMass-owned locations.
These sites include ones in the so-called Gateway district of North Pleasant Street, situated between the campus and Kendrick Park, on the north side of Massachusetts Avenue and on University Drive between the campus and Amity Street.
Under the arrangement at the Boston campus, the UMass Building Authority has contracted with Capstone Development Partners to lease a portion of the campus to construct the student housing complex that will have 1,000 beds.
Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek, who co-chairs the University-Town of Amherst Collaborative with Buffone, recently told the Select Board that attention will need to be paid to how this progresses.
“The logical next steps for us is to really work with our university partners so that we’re aware, as leadership in Amherst, at the Select Board level, how the next steps at UMass might play out,” Ziomek said.
Ziomek said the focus on these partnerships comes at a time when the UMass system is nearing its bond capacity and building projects on the flagship are continuing.
Public-private partnerships are one element of recommendations from U3 Advisers. Others include identifying sites for mixed-use development, creating a so-called “anchor strategy” that encourages UMass spin-off businesses to locate in Amherst and incentives for faculty and staff housing to be built in Amherst.