I'm not sure if they're still using the warehouse ... a friend of the family (his son) is a recent grad. He was in the warehouse. But that could have changed within the last couple years. (BTW .. he got a great job in NYC at an architecture firm).
All the same, for the cost of moving 2,700 beds ... this or some other alternative should be more seriously considered. The "connection" to the academic core seems less imperative for graduate/professional students. Law is a new building. So that's probably out. But architecture seems like a possible candidate.
So here's my (horrible, layman's) math: 2,700 beds = at least 5-6 buildings (assuming 500+ per building, 2 per room, 250 rooms). Residence halls of that size 3-4 stories might be several million dollars each (minimum). Then you have the cost of re-purposing the entire skytop complex ... demolition of existing residence buildings and conversion to "trails" ... a lesser expense but still not cheap.
A graduate school with its own dorms seems a better use. JMO. Feel free to flame me on my numbers.
They'll go taller with the buildings, but no complaint about the numbers beyond that.
The problem is that Skytop is pretty much obsolete for a few reasons. First, the buildings are cheap pre-fab crap (built, oddly enough, by Pyramid in the '70s). SU maintains them pretty well, but they're disposable structures nearing the end of their lives.
Second, they're un- (or at least under-) accessible in an era in which universal accessibility is a selling point (and it's weird that it took so long for the home of Burton Blatt and programs for disabled vets to put ideas into action). Not only do most of the units have stairs and no elevators, but they're located on a hill that's a bus ride away from campus.
Third, with the consensus that peak driving is behind us and a record-low number of teenagers getting licensed, it's thought to be unappealing to suggest to undergrads who want the on-campus apartment experience that they'll need a car at SU. That was normal 20 years ago, but it's thought that this will be considered a hardship in coming years and hurt SU's competitiveness with peers. Best to have everyone on campus in modern units.
Agree that this will be a big expense, but I wouldn't be surprised -- as NJCuse said -- if SU makes ground lease arrangements like Park Point and Colvin. Even so, it'll be interesting to see how this comes together. It's important to Kent, but it's a huge project and could easily outlast his tenure.
I wonder if SU has something planned for Soutth Campus? New school?
Haven't heard of anything beyond some minor athletics consolidation, maybe some high-end 'athletics' dorms (NCAA prohibits athletes-only housing, but they can throw a few other students in there and get away with it).
Not a huge deal, but it'd be neat if SU could bring its cross country course back to campus (especially if they continue to have success). Would be great for the school to host the ACC championships right at Skytop.
Sell land to developer to help pay for everything else they want to do
I don't think they will, but this would make the most sense (especially if consolidation happens and some school redistricting follows - developers could build a few hundred homes up there and chip in land for a new school that'd draw exclusively from middle and upper-middle class households in what's now Syracuse, DeWitt, and Onondaga).