Manhattan College breaks ground on Kelly Commons

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly returned to his old Bronx stomping grounds on Dec. 13 for the ceremonial groundbreaking of Manhattan College’s new student center.

The 70,000-square-foot student center will be named for Mr. Kelly, a 1963 graduate of the college. It will be built on what is now a parking lot at the corner of Manhattan College Parkway and Waldo Avenue as the school’s “front door to the community,” according to President Brennan O’Donnell.

“Kelly Commons, I like the way that sounds,” Mr. Kelly said at the parking lot, which was filled with Manhattan College alumni and students. 

The five-story building — set to open in 2014 — is a major step toward connecting the college’s main campus to its southern campus, located on Corlear Avenue. Mr. O’Donnell said this is the cornerstone of a two-decade-old plan to transform the college from a majority-commuter school to a majority-residential school. Currently 80 percent of the school’s incoming freshmen live on campus.

Some nearby residents have raised concerns about the $48 million facility, fearing the building may exacerbate noise problems along Waldo Avenue.  

Manhattan College representatives contend that it will be a cultural haven for the neighborhood. The first two floors will be open to the public, including a first-floor Starbucks and second-floor bookstore. Some lectures and programs hosted in the building will also be open to the public.

A fitness center, faculty dining room and large meeting room — which will take up much of the third, fourth and fifth floors — will be for student- and school-use only.

Residents have also expressed concerns that the construction will make it harder to park. Approximately 20 parking spaces along Waldo Avenue will be unavailable during construction. 

In response, the school will open its Broadway parking garage to motorists who live on Waldo Avenue. The school will post the number of spaces it will make available on a sign outside of the facility’s entrance on Manhattan College Parkway. Proof of residency in one of the properties along Waldo Avenue in the immediate vicinity of the construction site is required.

For more information on parking and the construction, go to http://studentcommonsblog.manhattan.edu.