University Research Park held significant institutional momentum and a growing roster of life sciences tenants — but decades of suburban campus development had produced isolated buildings, auto-dependent infrastructure, and no coherent sense of place to anchor the community it was becoming.

• Fragmented building fabric with no organizing public realm or street hierarchy

• Auto-dominant circulation limiting pedestrian connectivity across the campus

• Underutilized open land including a significant prairie holding at the district core

• Exact Sciences' rapid expansion creating immediate pressure for coordinated growth

• Future BRT corridor on Mineral Point Road as an underutilized connectivity asset

• Surrounding garden neighborhoods and regional trail network disconnected from campus

URP's existing assets pointed toward a clear direction: concentrate mixed-use development at the district core, activate the prairie landscape as public open space, and build the pedestrian and transit connections that would draw the surrounding community in.

• Leverage Exact Sciences' expansion as the catalyst for district-wide transformation

• Establish a mixed-use Catalyst District core anchored by lab, residential, retail, and civic uses

• Activate the prairie landscape as public open space and ecological infrastructure

• Build a walkable street and path network drawing regional energy into the campus

• Align future BRT connectivity with the district's pedestrian and development framework

• Create neighborhood identities organized by landscape character and building density

The plan organizes the 7.4-acre Catalyst core and its surrounding fabric into a mixed-use district — integrating lab, residential, retail, hotel, and civic uses around a preserved prairie landscape and a new walkable street network.

• Mixed-use Catalyst core integrating lab, residential, hotel, retail, and civic space

• Prairie landscape preserved and activated as ecological and experiential center

• Walkable street hierarchy connecting campus to neighborhoods and transit

• Phased development framework anchored to open space and infrastructure sequencing

• Flexible site plan accommodating market-responsive growth across multiple phases

Client: University Research Park

Role: Urban Design and Master Planning Lead, while at Tryba Architects

Developer: Mandel Group

Planning: Peter J. Park, LLC

Deliverables:

• Campus Framework Plan

• Catalyst District Master Plan

• Flexible Site Plan and Development Program

• Phasing Strategy