Student Housing Update


September 17, 2015

Student need is always top priority at Labette Community College (LCC). Student housing has been a need for many years. Over the last several years, the College has investigated several possible solutions for housing.

Most recently, we partnered with Bluffstone. During this year-long process we’ve had the opportunity to listen to viable community concerns about the terms of the first development agreement. Another positive outcome is that Bluffstone has listened to concerns of neighbors and decided to change the location of the building. Relocating the building to Main Street will allow for more parking spaces than originally planned and Main Street frontage.

At a Special Meeting of the LCC Board of Trustees today at noon the Second Student Housing Development Agreement was unanimously approved by the entire LCC Board. The major differences between this agreement than the first agreement are as follows:

  • 35% occupancy guarantee for a period of five years
  • Relocate the building from Broadway to Main Street
  • Under the contract Bluffstone has until August 1, 2017 to complete construction of the building; however they plan to be open by August 2016.
  • The college will transfer their parking lot on 14th & Main to Bluffstone, in exchange LCC will receive the entire parking lot between 14th & 15th & Broadway, which will provide 114 new parking spaces along Broadway. Bluffstone will fund the parking lot construction and the land will be deeded to LCC. Bluffstone will maintain the parking lot and perform snow removal for 20 years.
  • Bluffstone will provide 24 additional parking spaces on Main Street, for a total of 138 parking spaces.
  • No zoning change is required as the Main Street location is currently zoned for commercial use.
  • Bluffstone has applied for a Conditional Use Permit from the City of Parsons Board of Zoning Appeals for the parking lot along Broadway. The meeting is September 28, 2015 at 5:30pm.
  • Student Activities Center will be located within the building instead of a standalone structure.

We are excited about continuing efforts to provide on-campus housing for students.

PR Contacts

Lindi Forbes

Interim Director of Public Relations
(620) 820-1212
lindif@labette.edu