This piece in Land Line, a publication of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, is from 2001 but is worth the read as an exposition of the myriad of issues campuses face in development at or near the campus edge. Very thoughtful.

Even when universities succeed in securing new development sites, they have to balance many competing demands. For example, donors favor signature buildings; the city requires regulatory compliance; neighborhood activists call for input into the school's expansion plans, as well as benefits from that expansion; parents want a safe environment for their children; and students desire retail and entertainment options, as well as housing and security. Meeting all of these demands is difficult and none of the possible responses speaks directly to furthering the core educational mission of a university. ...

Because most universities will remain in their current locations indefinitely, their futures will continue to be intertwined with their surrounding neighborhoods. However, the inevitability of future change and persistent development pressure highlights the differences between universities and the private real estate sector. Profit and speed motivate private developers-two qualities not usually associated with universities, particularly public institutions. Furthermore, given the broader mission of a university, short-term, market-oriented thinking is not always suitable. It is clear that future prospects for university expansion remain a complex challenge, especially in urban areas where land available for development is limited and expensive. 

Click on its title to access the original resource, Universities as Developers.

One of our favorite higher education writer, Karla Hignite, writes, in Business Officer, about including "neighboring communities in multipurpose capital projects and strengthen[ing] town-gown bonds." She uses case studies from Columbia University's development of its Manhattanville Campus, University Center at Lansing Community College, and Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA), of which Trinity College is a member, the University of Maryland, Jackson State, as well as others, to make her point: "That’s not to say the process to obtain public input and approval for proposed projects isn’t messy or complicated or doesn’t require extreme levels of leadership endurance. Yet, as the institutions interviewed for this article can attest, efforts to be viewed not only as a good neighbor but as an essential part of the neighborhood ultimately make an institution a destination of choice for students, faculty, and staff."

A case study of the development of a service learning program in Trenton, New Jersey: "The Trenton Youth Community-Based Research Corps (TYCRC) at the College of New Jersey engages undergraduate students in research that helps make a difference in the lives of children - particularly those living in poverty. The students and I partner with nonprofit social service agencies that lack the resources to hire external researchers to conduct community needs and assets assessments or to study the effectiveness of their programs. Such research is increasingly necessary for the economic survival of nonprofit community-based organizations, not to mention for developing effective programs and services."