More info on the plans to demolish Lee, Sullivan, & Bragaw residence halls and what will be replacing them (according to NC State & the 2023 Master Plan)

We posted an article yesterday that was intended to showcase the future softball field that NC State was envisioning next to Doak Field.

The article was diving into an extremely in-depth presentation called “NC State’s Physical Master Plan” which has been published and accessible on NC State’s main website since 2023. The reason the article was posted yesterday for two reasons. For one, a new document was filed at the end of November, titled “Cates West Development – Project Summary Survey” which outlined the plan to demolish Lee, Sullivan, Bragaw, The West Dunn building and Fountain Dining Hall.

The second reason that the article was posted yesterday, was because softball season is starting today, and with some anticipating the new season, we thought it would be a good time to look at the future of the program and the future plans for a new stadium, which had been in the NC State master plan since 2023. Many of you were already aware of these plans, however we found out, many were not.

Being a sports site, the entire focus of the piece was to educate NC State baseball and softball fans about the new plans that really hadn’t been talked about too much in the media. However, the article went viral among those who were reminiscent of their times in those dorms and got way more traction than we anticipated. This led to a lot of misconceptions with people sharing the link, making assumptions, and having hot takes while not reading the article itself.

For instance, to make room for a softball field (on the current ‘Lee Field’) next to Doak, NC State would need part of the footprint that the current Lee Residence Hall sits on. So we used the phrase “…being demolished to make way for a softball facility.” in the headline.  However, the article, complete with pictures, went on to explain that those residence halls would be replaced in a different configuration to allow all things to fit while increasing the amount of student housing and dining capacity significantly.

Here is how it was worded:
“Gone will be Lee, Bragaw, and Sullivan Residence Halls, gone will be the West Dunn building, and gone will be Fountain Dining Hall. In their place will be a group of new buildings. With 800,000 sq feet of student housing, 100,000 sq feet of dining, and 25,000 square feet of student life space. Oh, and a new softball field!”

Our social media was flooded with comments, mostly fully understanding the situation and in many cases excited about the new plans. However, some did not read the article and assumed that NC State was knocking down dorms, not replacing them, and dropping a softball field in the place. We responded to just about every one of those posts, explaining the plan and advising them to simply read the article to understand the context (or look at the image that accompanied the post).

NC State reached out to us via email last night and explained that they were no longer pursuing that softball field option, which seems to be breaking news, since the master plan shows this set-up 15 times in its presentation, with no mention of alternative options. However, things change, and funding changes, so as of now, according to NC State, this option for a new softball field, in this spot, is no longer being pursued.

Here is how it was worded:

“The site map used is just one of the options that the consultants proposed for university consideration. The option shown, where the softball field moves behind where Lee Hall currently sits, is not being pursued.”

We reached out to ask if there was a softball field still being planned, and if so, where it would go. We also asked if the Master Plan will be updated to show the change of course. If we hear back, we will update you on that.

With the softball field no longer being pursued in that location, NC State baseball fans can continue their dreams of one day having a new stadium in the spot where Doak currently sits. And as for the demolition plans for the residence halls that were built in the late 1950’s, NC State says they are continuing to explore that. Here is their direct quote…

“What is being explored currently is the demolition of Lee, Sullivan and Bragaw Residence Halls, as well as Fountain Dining Hall and the West Dunn building, effectively clearing the site to rebuild student housing and dining facilities, increasing both the number of beds and dining capacity on campus.”

So what does that look like? Well, let’s turn back to the master plan…

Now, let’s make this VERY CLEAR. This is NC State’s adopted Master Plan which has been on their official website since 2023. It is NOT guaranteed to look like this. The stages that are currently in the works are looking for a design group. That group will likely follow this guidance, in a sense, and explore the viability and cost of all aspects of it before coming out with a concrete and actionable plan.

At the end of the day, I’m not sure why anyone would be against these plans. This is one of our state’s flagship universities and these dorms are from the 1950’s. They are old, they’ve needed repair, and with the current ‘other situation’ involving older buildings on campus, NC State’s best and safest course of action is start building some new facilities, especially when it comes to on-campus housing.

This plan increases density, taking most of the same footprint and creating more space for housing students, more space for dining and more more gathering spaces/quads. This is an efficient use of space and honestly, what NC State should be spending their money on.

As much as we LOVE NC State sports, and make our living off of reporting about them, we wouldn’t have anything to report on if NC State as a University wasn’t around or wasn’t an elite university whose relevancy allows them to build its athletic programs to a point where you actually care about them.

Back to the plan. The interesting parts of this plan show a rerouting of Dan Allen Dr. turning some of the current road into pedestrian areas. Again, ignore the image of the softball stadium, as NC State has told us that placement is no longer being pursued. However, the rest of this project is still relevant for discussion.

Again, let’s stop and say this AGAIN. This is the master plan which is published on NC State’s main site. These are initial visions that could change. However, it seems clear that NC State is moving forward with the demolition of the residence halls, the West Dunn Building and Fountain Dining Hall based on their filing noted above from late November. But, again, this could change as well, we’re just reporting on the information provided at the current moment.

For those wondering WHEN this might take place, the plan’s timeline for this area of campus goes like this…

Advance planning is set to start in December of THIS YEAR and they are seemingly figuring out contracts and such. As for actual construction, that won’t start for 5 more years.

Phase 1- Jan 2030 (construction)
Phase 2- Jan 2032 (construction)
Phase 3- Jan 2034 (construction)

There are a ton of great plans here for NC State in the Master Plan, and we’d encourage all alumni, future students or even sports fans to go take a look. While we believe talking about these things informs people about their university’s future, it also bring out those who are concerned about tax money,  and even those who may want to create outrage for the sake of outrage.

As alumni of NC State, we’ll say this. NC State’s campus experience in the early 2000’s when we were there was fine, but it was nothing to write home about when it came to facilities or amenities.

Today’s NC State is so much better. A place we bring out-of-town guests to visit and a place we bring our kids to eat, tour, and play. A place that has so much more student life on campus and so many more amenities (for students and alumni alike).

We hope NC State does implement these changes and that the alumni does rally around these enhancements. NC State needs to replace these older buildings, and while I think the plans should be open for discussion and visible to all interested, I also think it’s important that NC State updates these older buildings and creates a campus that the future generation can be proud of.