Belmont University

By Adam Moorad While Belmont University has increased enrollment by one-third since 2001 to become the second-largest private Christian university in the state, the school must now grapple with the growing pains of expansion. Faced with demand for additional living space and program facilities, the school is rapidly filling its campus footprint, and steps to acquire property in the surrounding neighborhood have many Belmont-area residents and businesses worried. With enrollment nearing 4,000 students, Belmont has recently completed the largest building projects in its history. In 2003, the university opened Kennedy Hall dormitory and a $52 million complex comprising Beaman Student Life Center, Curb Event Center and Maddox Grand Atrium. Meanwhile, the $17 million Thrailkill Hall is due to open in fall 2006, expanding the residential and parking space on campus. But a student body compounding at a rate of 10 percent over the past three years means the university will soon run out of room in its 72-acre domain between 12th Avenue and Belmont Boulevard. “Belmont University has plans for continued student growth over the next few years, creating the need for more residence capacity on campus,” says Belmont University president Robert Fisher. To meet the demands of such growth, university officials seek to double Belmont’s square footage over the next 10 to 15 years, a plan that will affect property owners in the neighborhood. This spring, Belmont University proposed to the Metro Planning Commission an institutional overlay comprising roughly 75 additional acres between 12th Avenue and Belmont Boulevard. In addition, the university has expressed interest in buying several local residencies along 15th Avenue South. The proposal for the overlay, which would give Belmont the exclusive opportunity to purchase properties within this designated area and lock in the present zoning classifications, has sparked controversy within the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood because some residents view the potential expansion as a threat to individual property rights. Win Myint, owner of the International Market and Restaurant on Belmont Boulevard, says his business would be compromised by the overlay, which includes the market and several other properties he owns. He has appealed to the Metro Planning Commission to exclude from the overlay properties that the university does not already own. “Otherwise, we and other owners of private property within the proposed district will become ‘captive sellers’ to the university,” Myint says. “The Institutional Overlay District is nothing but a license to keep other property owners out of the real estate market so that the university can deal with us as it wants to.” Myint and his wife Prapasri opened the popular International Market in 1975, and they have witnessed firsthand the progression of the Belmont neighborhood. “This neighborhood was considered undesirable and crime-infested, even though the university was across the street. This neighborhood experienced a lot of robberies and burglaries,” Myint says. “We did not run away. We stayed and worked very hard for the next 30 years. As a result, the International Market and Restaurant is not only a very successful business, but it has become an institution itself, which is part of the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood’s richly diverse culture.” Still, while many residents object to Belmont’s proposed acquisition of surrounding property, not all see the university’s continued growth as entirely negative. Myint, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, has no objections to Belmont’s success. “I am an academician. I like to see it grow. In fact, I am happy. I think the quality of education will grow along with it.” In May, the Metro Council deferred indefinitely Belmont University’s proposed institutional overlay district to allow for additional discussion. Belmont is not alone in the struggle to manage growth in an urban environment where land is at a premium. Both Lipscomb and Vanderbilt universities have faced a similar dilemma in their plans for expansion. A year ago, Lipscomb became the first university to receive an institutional overlay and since has begun construction on Ezell Center, an $11.3 million facility for its College of Bible and Ministry, will lie on the former softball field. As for Vanderbilt University, the school has also opted to direct its growth toward its underused land rather than expanding outward. But Belmont doesn’t have that option. The ambitious construction of the past few years has exhausted the majority of available space and, to support its swelling enrollment, Belmont has laid out an aggressive expansion plan. To mitigate the friction in town-and-gown relations, Belmont officials say they will continue to work with community representatives and neighborhood advisory committees, specifically the residents of 15th Avenue South, to draft a plan for reasonable growth that meets the needs of the school and its neighbors. BMOC at Belmont: Earl Davidson Since arriving at Belmont nearly a decade ago, Coach Earl Davidson has turned the men’s soccer program into a campus phenomenon with a loyal fan base and a powerhouse on the southeastern regional playing field. The team’s success in recent seasons has contributed to the program’s increased popularity among the Belmont community as students and fans fill the stands in unprecedented numbers. Under Davidson’s leadership, Belmont joined the NCAA in 1997 and the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001. This transition proved challenging for Davidson’s program, which racked up a disappointing two wins, 13 losses and one draw in its first season in the Atlantic Sun. But Davidson persevered, leading his team to its first post-season appearance in 2003 and was named Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year. In 2004, his team qualified for postseason play for a second consecutive year. Davidson is the third coach in the program’s 14-year history. The New Jersey native came to Nashville in 1985 to play for Vanderbilt University. After college, Davidson starred professionally, playing for the Salt Lake City Sting and the Nashville Metros. When he hung up his pro cleats, Davidson returned to Vanderbilt as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s programs before coming to Belmont. He has also worked at the youth level working with the Nashville Sting club teams and Tennessee’s Olympic Development Program teams. Davidson lives in Nashville with his wife, Alexis, and dog, Gemini.