During the week of Jan. 12, there will be construction related activity in the 2900 block of University Avenue between 29th Street and Walgreens. This activity is related to planned relocations of three homes to the Sherman Hill neighborhood, currently planned for Feb. 11 starting at 9 p.m. (weather postponement date is Feb. 18). We are pleased that there is continuing interest in the purchase of endowment-held houses for the purpose of relocation and continued use. As we plan for future University and neighborhood uses and evaluate the feasibility of continuing to maintain and operate rental properties, a key part of our strategy is to seek opportunities to encourage home relocation. Over the past few years, four homes have been relocated from Drake property.
Not all of the vacant homes on this block are able to be moved due to structural damage or other conditions that prevent relocation. Some of those homes need to be removed in order to facilitate the process of relocating the other homes. That process will begin this week, with contractors scheduled to be on site on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Drake has worked closely with Habitat for Humanity to facilitate the reclamation of items from within these homes. Steps have also been taken to abate any environmental conditions in the homes.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Kelly Foster at Kelly.foster@drake.edu.
Additional work is underway on plans for this area going forward. We look forward to sharing more on plans for the future in the coming weeks.
— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer