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Concordia moves northwest

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Written by Rachel Youens Thursday, 07 June 2007

After 80 years in a prominent downtown location, Concordia University is packing up and heading north, putting a full-scale university into an area previously served only by community colleges and trade schools. Photo of Future Concordia University campus

The private Lutheran university began looking for a new home in 2005 when they saw enrollment numbers rise at their landlocked campus at 32nd Street and IH 35 in Austin.

The university announced plans to relocate, and considered sites in Round Rock and Pflugerville. Then in February, the school unveiled the new site in far north Austin.

Concordia’s new home lies on 389 acres within the Balcones Canyonlands nature preserve, almost 17 times the amount of land the campus previously occupied. The property was formerly owned by the Schlumberger Oil company, which left behind a complex of buildings when they vacated the spot in 1987.

University officials plan to build upon this existing infrastructure, renovating it into classrooms, a library, a cafeteria and student services. Concordia will also prepare for future growth by increasing their dorm capacity and adding new athletic facilities and a performing arts auditorium. While the protected land was a problem for other businesses, Concordia hopes to use the preserve as an educational opportunity to study environmental management and stewardship.

“The Master Site Plan represents a vision for the main campus of Concordia over the next 30 to 40 years,” said Vice President of Student Services David Kluth. “The plan is designed to make the most effective and efficient use of the land at the new location while preserving its inherent beauty and environmental integrity.”

The school saw their largest enrollment ever for the Fall 2006 school year with 1,200 students. By 2010, Concordia expects to grow that number to 1,332. The college is currently in the process of moving and will open Fall 2008.