Ohio University has informed some HDL Center tenants that they will have to move elsewhere after July 2013.
A letter dated Dec. 28 was sent to non-university tenants at the center, located at 184 W. Union St., informing them of their imminent lease termination. They include Peoples Bank, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, the Ohio Lottery Commission, the County Clerk of Courts Title Office, the Deputy Registrar License Agency and the Driver Exam Station.
“Ohio University officials have determined that all leaseholds not directly related to use by Ohio University programs will be terminated over the course of the next couple of years,” said OU Deputy General Counsel Nicolette Dioguardi in the letter. “I am not in a position today to give you an exact termination date, other than to say it will be not sooner than July 1, 2013, and may be extended further over the next couple of years.”
Steve Golding, vice president of Finance and Administration, said in a statement that the buildings were acquried to meet the long term needs of OU's administrative units.
"In doing our facility space planning it has become evident that we will need more space to support academic programs over the course of the next several years," Golding said in the statement. "To also accommodate the needs of the University's academic units we will need to move administrative offices into the West Union Street facility."
Golding said in the statement that at this time, he does not know how much space will be needed.
Tenants were advised to contact Donna Goss, OU's director of real estate management, community engagement and economic development, to discuss the details of the notice.
"The University is simply exercising its rights under the current lease agreements at the West Union Street facility to keep its options open and will be meeting with individual tenants to talk with them about their needs and plans so we can better coordinate future moves," Golding said in the statement.
During the June 2012 Board of Trustees meeting, trustees discussed using the West Union Street Office Center as “swing space” to relocate occupants from buildings, such as Lindley Hall, in order to renovate them.
“Modifications to space in Bromley Hall and West Union St. Office Center and possible leased space on Court Street are now key components of the swing space plan in order to vacate Lindley,” according the agenda of the meeting.
At the last Board of Trustees meeting, which was held in November, trustees also discussed space planning principles to preserve Athens campus space for academic purposes.
OU purchased the HDL offices in 2008 for $9.25 million and currently houses various university offices there, including the Office of Information Technology, the Finance division, University Advancement Development Offices and Internal Audit.
Jennifer Krisch, a spokeswoman for OU, said the university does not yet have concrete plans for the space.
“Nothing will take place before July 1, 2013, and (it) could potentially be longer,” she said in an email. “Currently, a planning study is underway.”
Dioguardi, who signed the letter that was sent to the tenants, said she personally wasn’t involved with the planning study.
bc822010@ohiou.edu
