Southwest Corridor Extension Center
(December 15, 2004)

With the approval of the Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees on Wednesday, one of the last pieces of the 2020 College Master Plan has fallen into place. Lakewood Homes LLC, Waubonsee Community College, and the city of Plano have approved the location of the College’s new extension campus on a nine-acre site adjacent to the Lakewood Springs development currently under construction north of Highway 34 and west of Eldamain Road near Lake Plano.

Mayor Bill Roberts of Plano, Mr. Kurt Wandrey, Senior Vice President of Forward Planning with Lakewood Homes, and Mr. Jim Truesdell, Director of Planning & Zoning also with Lakewood, were at last night’s meeting. WCC’s Board of Trustees chair, Mr. Richard “Shorty” Dickson, presided over the session, which saw an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Plano and a transfer of property from Lakewood Homes approved.

Mr. Dickson said, “This partnership allows us to provide greater access to college education in anticipation of the growth patterns in the district. It will make our programs available to people in the western and southern parts of the district which, because of travel concerns, may have made travel to one of our campuses a problem.”

“ Plano is growing by leaps and bounds,” noted Mayor Roberts of Plano, “and putting the new campus in our highest growth area right next to the Lakewood Springs housing development makes good sense for Lakewood, Plano and Waubonsee Community College.”

Dr. Christine Sobek, WCC president, noted, “We are grateful for the generosity of Lakewood Homes. It demonstrates their commitment to accessible higher education in our district and places ninety percent of the citizens in our district within about a 15-minute drive of one of our campuses."

“Lakewood Homes’ philosophy has always been about more than just building homes. Actively supporting the development of the communities in which we build and providing a high standard quality of life has been a hallmark of our organization. We are proud to have provided this site to the college as a statement of our commitment to higher education in the Fox Valley,” said Harriet Ford, director of corporate communication for Lakewood Homes.

The new campus has not been named but plans for its design and construction are underway. There has been explosive growth along the Route 34 corridor and the campus is being designed to meet the needs of both existing and future residents of the area.

The campus is part of Waubonsee’s 2020 College Master Plan which district residents supported through their approval of two referenda in 2002 and 2003. Construction on Phase I of the plan is already underway with construction of a new Maintenance and Central Storage facility and new Science Building on the Sugar Grove Campus. Plans for Phase II, which include a Student Center and Classroom/Training building, are currently being developed and construction on them should begin in 2005.

Dr. Sobek said, “Education is the key to an effective and highly qualified workforce. Lakewood Homes, as one of the premier builders in Chicagoland, has helped make education, training, and enrichment for all of our families a reality.”