Looking at Simmons' Master Plan linked to above what surprises me is that Simmons has excess space on its academic campus. Looking at the diagrams there are large sections of two buildings that are leased to Children's' Hospital and Brigham and Wonen's Hospital. I assume that this is used as administrative space by those hospitals.
So Simmons will be able to demolish a major academic building (Park Science Center) and relocate those departments to other existing academic buildings. Simmons had overbuilt their academic campus!
There is a net lose of square feet after all is said and done, even with increasing the number of beds by about eight percent. The square footage lost with demolition of the science building is not fully made up after reconfiguring existing buildings and ending the leasing to the hospitals.
Most of the parking spaces at Simmons are leased out to the hospitals.
I didn't find data in the IMP on how many of the 600 undergraduates not living on campus are commuting students, whose family resides in Greater Boston, and how many are 'out-of-state' and living off campus. Simmons does not provide graduate school housing, and graduate school enrollment is increasing sharply.
So what next?
Simmons would appear to be in no rush, as their on-line program is a huge cash cow. Without that, the college would be in dire straits. With it, Simmons has a healthy operating surplus.
A.) Sell the residential campus to one or more of the hospitals.
B.) As Emmanuel did, sell it to a pharma company.
c.) Sell to Boston U, to add to its Wheelock campus.
My guess is A., or B. Simmons wants to continue playing nice to the hospitals because of the nursing and STEM programs
.
