Tri C’s Westshore campus on target for fall groundbreaking
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published June 17, 2009

City Council approved the development plan for Phase I of Cuyahoga Community College’s planned Westshore campus on June 4 following the Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval three days earlier.

Ann Proudfit, Tri-C’s Westlake campus director, said the college anticipates breaking ground this fall for the new campus, which will be located over 33 acres at the corner of Bradley and Clemens roads.

The first of three planned classroom buildings will welcome students in January 2011, Proudfit said.

The college paid $4.6 million for the property last year.

Although the college was not required to submit a master plan for the site because it is part of the city’s industrial zone, it did so anyway, according to Will Krause, assistant director of planning and economic development for the city of Westlake.

Krause said approval from the Planning Commission and council was fairly straightforward.

“There were no conditions placed on it, which was very unusual,” said Krause, who added that the large size of the property made issues such as setbacks less of a problem than for many other projects.

One resident asked that the numerous sourgum, or black tupelo, trees near the property along I-90 be preserved during construction. Krause said many of the trees are outside of Tri-C’s property. He did say some of the trees on the site may be cleared at a later date.

Areas not being developed will be left in their natural state, Krause said. Some wetlands will be maintained on the property, he added.

The college will pay for road improvements at the intersection of Bradley and Clemens roads.

Phase I of the development plan includes 460 parking spaces, more than is required by the city’s code, Krause said.

Future students will be able to access the campus from Bradley Road and the RTA circulator that travels on that street.

“There will be some access beyond just automobiles,” Krause said.

Approval of the college’s signage will be done separately, according to Krause.

The first building, which will have two floors, will focus on the college’s health care programs, such as nursing, health information management, sleep studies and occupational therapy, Proudfit said. The building will include biology, chemistry and physics laboratories, she added.

That building will also house offices for student services, Proudfit said, with the aim being to provide one location where students can easily register, pay tuition fees and apply for financial aid.

A second building planned for the campus is scheduled to open in 2010, and a third will host classes by 2014, Proudfit said.

Those buildings will likely hold classes in fields such as environmental sustainability, engineering, criminal justice and radiography, according to Proudfit.

Meanwhile, credit classes continue at Cuyahoga Community College’s Corporate College West. Earlier this year, the college announced that students can now attend all classes required for associate’s degrees in arts, science, and applied arts in business administration right at the Center Ridge Road building.

 Proudfit noted that course enrollment this summer at Corporate College West is up 77 percent over last summer. Enrollment in college credit courses at the Center Ridge Road location increased more than 20 percent between the 2008-09 academic year and the year before.

She attributes the rise to a mixture of easy access for Westshore students and economic reasons. Some students will attend their first two years of college while living at home to save money, then transfer to a four-year college, Proudfit said.

In the spring semester, 1,427 students enrolled in 2,622 courses at Corporate College West, Proudfit said.

On the Web:

• Cuyahoga Community College