Stratford Heights May See
Fall Construction Date

A new "village" proposed for an area just west of UC's main campus may begin construction as soon as this fall, according to neighborhood officials involved in the project.

The eight-acre development, called Stratford Heights, is proposed by the University Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (UHCURC), a non-profit corporation formed to revitalize the University Heights neighborhood. The project area sits in a ravine bordered by Clifton Avenue, the west edge of the Stratford Avenue parking lot and DeVotie Street.

"We hope to begin construction as soon as the fourth quarter of this year," said Greg Braun, UHCURC trustee and a UC alumnus who lived in Clifton Heights for 20 years until his recent marriage. Soon a firm will be hired to develop final drawings for the project and manage the construction, Braun said.

An open house Feb. 7 at UHCURC headquarters at 2623 Clifton Ave. invited the community to come and view the plans, which call for new housing for fraternities, sororities and other university student groups, a community center for food and convenience store services, property management offices, recreational spaces, student services and a proposed new multi-level parking garage built partially underground.

Conceptual drawings show 20 units with 30 beds each in three-and-a-half story structure. A semi-circular pedestrian walkway would sit on Clifton Avenue across from the university's existing semi-circular entryway. A terraced walkway descends the ravine to Stratford. Traditionally styled new housing with green spaces would sit on both sides of Stratford, while the street itself would split in two lanes around a large oval green space in the middle of the village.

Basketball and volleyball courts, plus improved access to Coy Field are also part of the conceptual drawings prepared by the Mackey Mitchell EDAW Partnership. UHCURC formed in December 2000. Its board consists of two members from the Heights Community Council, two from the Greek Affairs Council (GAC) and one from UC. Its creation followed community resistance to a plan by a developer to build a large parking garage on the west side of Clifton Avenue. UC has loaned $4.5 million to UHCURC to purchase the land.

More information on the plans can be found on the UHCURC web site at www.uhcurc.org.