Mixed-Use Development Coming to Discovery Park

(rendering courtesy of Purdue University)

Purdue University has announced the latest development for the 400-acre Discovery Park District. A joint venture between Indianapolis-based Browning Investments LLC and J.C. Hart Co. Inc. in Carmel will develop a three-acre mixed-use project featuring 250 luxury apartments and 15,000 square feet of street-level commercial space on the West Lafayette campus.

The commercial space will be designed to accommodate a variety of uses, such as restaurants, cafes, convenience retail and soft goods shops. The university says the project aligns with its long-term place for Discovery Park to "grow into a thriving, walkable, urban setting where innovators, entrepreneurs, students, researchers and thought leaders can create, congregate, collaborate and commercialize." 

"By bringing much-needed one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments to Discovery Park District, we see this not just as a great opportunity in a great location, but also as a chance to be part of something truly beneficial to Purdue and the entire Lafayette community," Todd May, vice president of development at J.C. Hart, said in a news release. "This development is setting a high standard for innovation districts, and we’re excited to be a part of it."

Developers expect to break ground on the project this year. J.C. Hart will manage the building, which is expected to accept its first residents in 2021.

The project joins three others currently under development in the Discovery Park District. The most recent is Aspire, an $86 million apartment complex scheduled to open in August. The others are Convergence, a 145,000-square-foot mixed-use development, and SEL Purdue, a 100,000-square-foot electric power research facility, both of which are slated to open in 2020.