In the final phase of Kennesaw State University’s acquisition of the property formerly occupied by the Kennesaw BrandsMart USA store, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia today approved $12.55 million for the purchase.   

The Kennesaw State University Foundation previously acquired the property — approximately 16.775 acres at 3305 Busbee Drive — in 2014 on behalf of the University. Today’s action formally transfers ownership of the property to the University. The BOR’s approval came nearly a year after it authorized the University’s lease of the retail store and its expansive parking lot from the Foundation in order to allow development to begin.

The development includes repurposing the retail building to create space for a student health center, additional laboratory space for the Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education, a new marching band program and critically needed storage. In addition, the property will add 720 new parking spaces that will be accessible through Kennesaw State’s park-and-ride bus shuttle program.

Kennesaw State President Daniel S. Papp called the acquisition and development of the project “very strategic,” noting that the property would link the KSU Center on Busbee Drive — home of the College of Continuing and Professional Education — with the 88-acre KSU Sports and Recreation Park, creating 120 acres of contiguous land east of the main campus. 

“We thank the Board of Regents for finalizing this acquisition and enabling us to integrate this much-needed facility and parking lot into our physical plant, particularly as we move toward completing the consolidation of Kennesaw State and Southern Polytechnic,” Papp said. “Space continues to be at a premium as we expand to meet the needs of a rapidly growing student population. We are especially pleased that by adapting an existing facility, we can acquire much-needed space in a manner consistent with the USG’s space utilization objectives.”

In addition to the expected growth of the University through consolidation, the project also comes as the University anticipates kicking off its first season of NCAA Division I football in Fall 2015.

“The University will be able to accommodate the growing space needs of existing programs and add new programs, such as the marching band that will be associated with our football program,” Papp said. “The real plus will come when we formally link our main campus and east campus, making it easier for students and staff to access these important facilities.”