THE FORMER YWCA BUILDING, DOWNTOWN, IS BEING PURCHASED BY POINT PARK UNIVERSITY TO PROVIDE MORE STUDENT HOUSING, OTHER AMENITIES. | PHOTO BY CALEB MCCARTNEY/ NEXT GENERATION NEWSROOM

The situation of Point Park University students being housed in a Downtown hotel because of a shortage of dorm rooms on campus eventually may be a thing of the past.

The university announced this week that it had signed a letter of intent to purchase the former YWCA building near the campus at 305 Wood St. It plans to use the long-vacant  building for more student housing, a student union and street-level spaces that are designed to bring new life to the area.

The new building won’t open right away. Lou Corsaro, the university’s assistant vice president of public relations, said the development is still in the early stages. Once the purchase is finalized, there would be a year of planning and input and a couple of more years to complete the construction.

“So you’re probably looking at three to four years,” he said.

But the pending purchase fulfills a couple of goals in Point Park’s Pioneer Vision 2030 plan to increase enrollment and continue to expand programs and opportunities at the university.

“This is an opportunity to bring new life and purpose to a significant Downtown property,” Chris W. Brussalis, president of Point Park University, said in a statement. “Our goal is to create a development that not only supports our students and academic mission but also shows our commitment to playing a lead role in the new Downtown renaissance.”

Point Park faced what might be considered a good problem when it experienced a nearly 20% increase in its freshmen class this fall, forcing the university to arrange housing for 90 students at the Downtown Wyndham Grand near Point State Park. Three residential clusters of students are distributed in 45 rooms on three floors, supervised by two resident educators, their version of resident assistants. University of Pittsburgh also experienced a spike in freshmen enrollment and is housing some of its new students at the Hampton Inn in West Oakland, as well as at other off-campus spots.

Point Park’s planned purchase also resolves another issue Downtown. In 2022, Michigan-based City Club Apartments purchased the former YWCA building for $4 million, with plans to convert the building into 300 apartments, as well as retail and restaurant space. But that project never moved forward. The developer was sued in February for defaulting on the mortgage.

The renovation was a part of the larger $600 million Downtown revitalization that would, among other things, preserve or create 1,000 residential units. Almost a third of those would have come from the YWCA renovation.

As the university project moves forward, Point Park officials will collaborate with civic, business and philanthropic partners to refine the plans and align it with overall revitalization efforts Downtown.