About 100 people gathered over the lunch hour Wednesday for an update on the TRU Campus Master Plan and the university village concept.

President Alan Shaver and Vice President Finance and Administration, Matt Milovick, provided a brief history of the plan and the progress made to date on the idea of the campus becoming a vibrant community—the so-called University Village.

“The University Village will enhance campus life for students, faculty, staff and the community,” said Dr. Shaver, noting the idea is to increase densification in order to create an energy and vibrancy 24/7.

“This is the key to vitality on our campus. We need places where people can go for a bagel and a newspaper on the weekends,” Shaver stated, adding that it is also a revenue stream that will raise money for scholarships, bursaries and research.

While not much has been going on publicly in the past few years, behind the scenes the TRU Community Trust (TRUCT), established in 2011, has been busy engaging numerous consultants and other stakeholders to address transportation, sustainability and other market needs.

VP Administration and Finance Matt Milovick answers questions from Dylan Robinson of TRUSU about the university village development.

The trust was created as a way for the development to progress but remain at arm’s length from the university, which under current provincial post-secondary risk management policies, cannot directly control the project.

The immediate next steps in the plan include the anticipated rezoning applications for certain parcels of the property. TRU students and employees can expect to see the rezoning application signs up next week.

Finlay Sinclair, CEO for the TRU Community Trust indicated that shovels could be in the ground within 18 months and that the first areas to be considered for development are the “serviced and flat”. These areas include the grassy corner of McGill and Summit and the area behind Old Main.