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The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 23-acre Salem property currently operated by ����ֱ�� known as South Campus. 

“DCAMM is committed to helping our partners at ����ֱ�� move closer to realizing their Campus Master Vision through the sale of the South Campus property,” said DCAMM Commissioner Carol Gladstone. “The property also offers an exciting redevelopment opportunity for the city of Salem and the surrounding community.” 

The South Campus RFP was developed through consultation with stakeholders including the University, city of Salem, Massachusetts Historical Commission, and Salem Historical Commission. DCAMM will manage all aspects of the sale process. In addition, DCAMM partnered with the city of Salem and the university on a study with Sasaki Associates to guide the future use and development of this site. As part of this study, there was a community working group and public forums to gain community input and learn about preferences for use of this land in the future. .

“Today’s announcement from DCAMM represents a major step forward in the reuse of this significant property in our city,” said Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. “In addition to the positive outcomes this will bring to ����ֱ��, the possibility to substantially, and positively, impact our community are very real. It holds the potential to help address our very real community housing needs, improve access to and preservation of sensitive conservation areas, and protect a unique historic building. This project has the opportunity to be transformational for the south Salem neighborhood and our city as a whole. The City is looking forward to working in partnership and close collaboration with ����ֱ��, neighbors of the site, and other stakeholders in the community – as we have throughout this process – to ensure it advances transparently, sustainably, and in as positive a manner as possible.”

“This RFP has great potential to benefit the city and our campus. It is truly a win-win,” said Salem State President John Keenan. “We’re excited that our capital planning will make such a significant parcel in a desirable location available, while at the same time consolidating our campus footprint, so that we can offer a more cohesive student experience. We greatly appreciate Senator Lovely’s and Representative Tucker’s assistance in passing legislation that allows us to reinvest proceeds from the sale in the long-term strength of our institution by funding improvements to our campus core.”

The sale of this property is a step forward in the university’s long-term effort to concentrate its programming in the campus core, which includes the North and Harrington campuses. Divestment from South Campus was proposed in Salem State’s 2013 Campus Master Vision and further explored in subsequent planning studies. Consolidating the campus’s physical footprint is part of a larger university effort, called SSU BOLD: A Campus Unification and Modernization Project. It includes the renovation of the now-vacant Horace Mann Building to house South Campus programming and constructing a state-of-the-art addition to Meier Hall to house much-needed, modernized, flexible high-intensity teaching labs. 

“Though the relocation of South campus programs is not imminent, the university looks forward to the benefits that a consolidated campus footprint will bring, and this RFP moves us closer to achieving that vision,” said Keenan.