Last week, Howard presented its ten year plan to the ANC1b Design Review Committee. While Howard was not seeking any votes, they wanted to begin sharing the proposed draft during the early stages to allow input.All universities in DC are required to submit a ten year plan. Howard has already shared it with DDOT in order to discuss closing a couple of blocks off to traffic, as well as new sidewalk routes for students.
Currently, Howard has about 10,000 students and has in the past been up to 12,000. They have a serious shortage of housing for students, especially for freshmen and sophomores, with only a total of 4,600 beds available for all students now. Three buildings are immediately off campus, two the south and one to the north. Both are inconvenient for students to get to campus, and don’t even have air conditioning.
Howard is proposing to initiate a three phase process which will greatly revitalize its campus. In order to prepare for this, Howard has done an extensive engineering study, worked with faculty, as well as local residents. The result is a three phase program (see timeline below) that will address three crucial areas:
1) Add more housing on campus for students and new faculty which will improve the student life experience
2) Increase the number of labs for S.T.E.M. and other sciences so Howard can be ranked number one in research again (currently number two for its division).
3) Address the crumbling infrastructure of existing buildings
The first phase will concentrate on adding student housing which will add 1,300 new beds. Once they are completed, the three exiting dorms outside of campus will be repurposed, possibly for faculty housing (about 800 beds). There are also two proposed research buildings. All the new buildings are to be built on existing parking lots, and the goal is to begin to grow Howard more west of Georgia Avenue.In order to address the possible growing parking problem in the community, Howard has already begun a transportation reduction plan. However, the design review committee stressed Howard provides a more detailed parking plan in the near future.
It was also brought up by the committee to incorporate the buildings Howard owns outside of the immediate campus area, including the one on the 1800 block of 7th Street, NW, as well as the CVS at 7th and Florida, NW. The committee stressed Howard should work more with the community with regards to its real estate holdings, especially since many of these properties are not being utilized in a way that benefits the community. Many of their properties are underutilized, leaving them to be mostly empty buildings with little foot traffic.
Howard will be presenting to the committee with a formal plan in the near future. At that time, the committee will vote on whether or not to recommend it to the ANC1b for a vote.
New Construction & Renovation Timeline
1-3 years: (Phase 1)
- Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Building
- Computational Sciences & Retail
- Underclassmen Dorm #1
- Underclassmen Dorm #2
3-5 years: (Phase 2)
- Wellness, Recreation, Residences, Retail
- Blackburn Center Renovation
- School of Communications, Retail
- Support Services
- Nursing, Allied Health, Pharmacy Schools
- Nanotechnology Building
- Biomedical Engineering, Retail
- Upperclassmen Dorm #1, Retail
- Miner Building renovation
5-7 years: (Phase 3)
- Intercollegiate Athletics Complex
- Graduate/Workforce Housing
- Upperclassmen Dorm #2, Retail
- Teaching and Learning Building
Future phase capacity:
- Academic/Athletic space
- Institutional Infill
- Middle School
- Academic/Research
- Academic/Research
- Academic/Research
- Academic/Research
- Academic/Research
Proposed Renovation Projects
- Howard University Hospital
- Howard University Hospital Cancer Center
- Residence Life
- Athletics
- Founders Library
- School of Dentistry
- Adams
- School of Engineering
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Seely Mudd
- Douglass Hall
- Locke Hall
- C.B. Powell
- School of Architecture
- School of Fine Arts
- Physics
- Rankin Chapel
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