Pace Eyes September Groundbreaking for Pleasantville Campus

Pace University received approval from the Town of Mount Pleasant's Planning Board Monday to move ahead with Phase I of its Master Plan, according to a press release.

"A groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of construction is scheduled for September," the university announced.

The school, which has campuses in Pleasantville, Briarcliff Manor, White Plains and Manhattan, plans to sell its Briarcliff campus and build out its Pleasantville one over the course of several years.

"The first phase includes new residence halls, expanding and upgrading the student center, relocating and expanding the environmental center, adding new athletic facilities, upgrading existing buildings and infrastructure and improving pedestrian accessibility," according to the statement. "The environmentally-focused plan will incorporate extensive 'green' building designs and technologies while staying within the existing campus core."

Currently, 590 undergraduate students reside at the 35-acre Elm Road Briarcliff Manor campus, with classes and most other activities taking place in Pleasantville.

"While no classes are taught in Briarcliff, the plan will allow athletic and certain administration functions that are now there to be brought to Pleasantville," the statement said. "The unified campus will bring multiple benefits including enhancing the overall quality of student life and experience and eliminating approximately 3,000 annual bus trips that are now required to shuttle students between campuses that are 2.5 miles apart."

Over five years, the Briarcliff Manor operations will be phased over to the Bedford Road-accessible campus.

The project, said Pace University President Stephen J. Friedman, coincides with the Pleasantville campus' 50th anniversary.

"The capital improvements in Pleasantville, together with new academic programs and related enhancements, represent a significant investment in and commitment to the future of the Pleasantville campus," he said.

For further reading:
Planning Board to Vote on Part I of Pace Overhaul
Pace Plans $100M Revamp in Pleasantville, Sale of Briarcliff Campus
Locals Weigh in On Pace Master Plan