Park Point at RIT
Park Point at RIT (originally referred to as "Collegetown" or "College Park") is a commercial enterprise on the northeast corner of Rochester Institute of Technology's campus in Rochester, New York. The property was initially being leased to Wilmorite Properties, until it was bought by American Campus Communities in 2013. Park Point at RIT is a $72 million dollar project and is expected to bring in $10 million in tax revenue during the first ten years of operation. Although tenants were allowed to move in and shops began opening on August 15, 2008, the grand opening of Park Point at RIT was held on September 27, 2008, with a concert called Simone Square Bash 2008. History For several years, RIT had been looking for ways to add new housing to campus for students. As early as October 2003, rumors spread through RIT's student body about expanding an existing complex, or perhaps a new student housing project. In the Winter of 2005, RIT announced a plan for 'College Town'. College Town was envisioned as "a commercial venture that would bring a variety of shopping, dining and housing to a parcel on the northeast corner of campus." Initially, the area was designed for use primarily by RIT students and faculty; but as time progressed, the idea of College Town expanded to include not only RIT and other college students, but to also incorporate recent graduates and the local community. According to a statement from Wilmorite, the firm expects that the housing will largely be taken not only up by students from RIT, but also by students from Monroe Community College, University of Rochester and other area colleges. Construction Although RIT originated the idea for the project, the implementation and operation of Park Point is being carried out by Wilmorite Properties. Wilmorite Construction was responsible for construction of the complex. Construction of Park Point was originally planned to start in Fall of 2006. However, the project was delayed by concerns about the wetlands in the proposed area. RIT worked with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to overcome the concerns. RIT created an equal amount of wetlands in the southeast corner of campus to offset the loss of wetlands due to the construction of Park Point. Construction began on Monday, April 30, 2007 with the clearing of trees and brush in the area, although the official groundbreaking was on June 22. In addition to the construction at Park Point, the project also caused minor disturbances to local traffic for brief periods of time. These were mostly attributed to bringing utilities to the area as well as the paving of new entrances on John Street and Perkins Road. Property Park Point is situated upon a plot of RIT's campus. The land, owned by the RIT, was originally intended to be sold to Wilmorite, but RIT instead chose to lease the land to Wilmorite. The area contains 32 buildings, 31 of which contain apartments. The buildings