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The WSU Board of Regents will review a contract negotiation update regarding the possible development of 20 acres of WSU-owned land, a potential first in institutional history, at its meeting on Thursday.

The regents will revisit a proposal to approve a mixed-use development, in which a local company would develop land near the Palouse Ridge Golf Course into alumni condominiums, student housing and retail space.

Corporate Pointe Developers (CPD), which is headed by prominent real estate developer Duane Brelsford Jr. and owns and manages various properties around Pullman and Moscow, would undertake the project, according to the Institutional Infrastructure Committee’s meeting agenda for Thursday.

WSU spokesperson Rob Strenge said this development could be the first of its kind.

“It is hard to say in all WSU history,” Strenge said, “because you can go back to 1890, but as far as I know WSU Pullman has never sold land to a developer in recent history.”

Strenge said the only other time WSU sold any of its land to developers was a property in Bonney Lake. WSU sold that property for residential and commercial development in 2009.

According to a Board of Regents Institutional Infrastructure Committee meeting agenda item, if the proposal were to pass it would then go to the WSU president or his designee for further approval.

“At this stage they’re just entering into negotiations with developers,” Strenge said.

Currently, WSU is negotiating terms of the land sale and ground lease with the developers, according to the agenda item.

Kerri Jo Staniszewski, director of operations for CPD, said the company proposed developing the land into condominiums and housing, as well as retail space.

The proposed initial lease for the land would be for 35 years, which Staniszewski said is typical of a development like this. The developers would have to follow WSU design standards, but are seeking changes in the WSU standard ground lease as part of the negotiations.

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CPD wants to purchase about 9.5 acres of deeded land from WSU, according to the agenda item. They proposed three acres for phase one of the development and 6.5 acres for phase two.

The developers are offering to buy this land at the appraised value or higher, according to the agenda item.

Staniszewski said the development could mean more choices for housing and services for Pullman.

The timeline for the new development has yet to be established, Strenge said. No action will take place at the meeting as the agenda item is informational only, Strenge said.

The proposal for the 20-acre development of WSU-owned land was first introduced at a November regents meeting. The land in question is located at the corner of Fairway Drive and NE Terre View Drive, next to the Palouse Ridge Golf Club and Marriott Residence Inn.

The university issued the proposal request for a ground lease to develop this area, according to an agenda item from the November Institutional Infrastructure Committee meeting. Scott Carson, chair of the committee, was not available for comment.