Q&A: What you need to know about Rowan University’s $690M West Campus project

Rowan University has launched its West Campus development project, featuring a Wellness Village and a Center for Manufacturing Innovation.

President Ali Houshmand says the initiative is “transformational in scope and impact,” and a “bold vision for the region.” It is designed as a phased public‑private development, with timelines subject to municipal approvals and market conditions.

Want more details? Glad you asked.

Here is a Q&A we created about the project, based on releases from the school and an extended conversation with three of the principals in the project: Houshmand, Rowan Provost Tony Lowman and Fairmont Properties Founder Randy Ruttenberg.

BINJE: So, what exactly is Rowan doing on its West Campus?

A: Rowan is planning a $690 million, multi‑phase development on roughly 220 acres at the intersection of Routes 55 and 322 in Harrison Township and Glassboro.

Think of it as two big pieces that work together:

Rowan University Wellness Village on the south side of Route 322: an intergenerational, walkable neighborhood built around health, housing and lifestyle.

Rowan University Center for Manufacturing Innovation (RCMI) on the north side: a 350,000‑square‑foot cluster of advanced manufacturing and med-tech facilities tied directly to Rowan’s engineering and research programs.

University officials see it as a new district that mixes living, learning, health care and industry in one place.

BINJE: Why is Rowan doing this now? Hasn’t that land been empty for years?

A: Yes. Rowan bought the West Campus land more than 20 years ago, with the idea that it would eventually support a major expansion. Most of it has been sitting as fields at the edge of Glassboro.

Houshmand has been talking internally about a big vision for that land since at least the late 2000s. The West Campus project is essentially his attempt to finally use it for what he sees as Rowan’s broader mission: education, research, economic development and community health — not just land banking.

On the media call, he made the point that Rowan has been “sitting in a gold mine” and treating it like something far less valuable. The West Campus plan is his move to change that.

BINJE: What are the basic numbers? Jobs, taxes, size?

A: As proposed, Rowan and its partners are talking about:

• $690 million in total development.
• More than 4,170 construction jobs and 900+ permanent jobs.
• About $14.3 million a year in new tax revenue (property, sales, income, hotel) when everything is built out.
• A mix of housing, health‑care space, research space, hotel, retail and community facilities across ~220 acres.

BINJE: Who’s paying for all of this?

A: It’s structured as a public‑private partnership:

Rowan is primarily putting in the land. Fairmount Properties is the managing developer, leading the private financing.

Inspira Health, United Methodist Communities, Rowan Medicine and others are major users/partners.

Fairmount’s Randy Ruttenberg told reporters the company expects to invest “upward of $60 million” in private equity, on top of traditional first‑mortgage construction financing. But even with that, the deal depends heavily on:

State incentives, especially the NJEDA Aspire program (they’re seeking “transformational project” status, which could unlock up to $400 million in tax credits), and local PILOTs and tax‑sharing agreements with Harrison Township and Glassboro.

Fairmount said they’ve been in discussions with NJEDA staff for about a year about how the project fits Aspire.

BINJE: When does this actually start – and when will people see something built?

A: On timing, Ruttenberg said that “in a perfect world” that a groundbreaking could happen within about 12 months, give or take a quarter.

The Wellness Village is roughly a five‑ to six‑year build once they’re in the ground. The Center for Manufacturing Innovation and the broader innovation park on the north side will roll out over a longer horizon, as companies and research partners sign on.

All of that is contingent on municipal approvals, NJEDA decisions and the usual site‑plan/traffic/utility work.

BINJE: Let’s talk about the Wellness Village. Is this just a giant senior community?

A: Rowan and its partners are very clear: No.

Yes, there is a continuum‑of‑care senior component — independent living, assisted living, memory care — run by United Methodist Communities, and some 55+ units. But that’s only one slice of the housing.

The full south‑side plan includes:

• 250 market‑rate rental units.
• 410 for‑sale homes (townhomes and single‑family).
• 340 continuum‑of‑care units, including 96 active‑adult (55+) rentals.
• A 40,000‑SF Rowan Community Wellness Institute.
• A 65,000‑SF Inspira medical office building.
• A 160‑room hotel and conference center.
• 56,000 SF of retail.
• A wooded preserve and a network of walking trails.

The idea is an intergenerational, walkable neighborhood where:

• Young professionals, Rowan and Inspira employees, families and older adults all live in the same district.
• Health care is on‑site.
• Daily life encourages walking, activity and social connection.

Rowan says the design is influenced by longevity research and “Blue Zone” concepts: built‑in movement, healthy food, community and purpose.

BINJE: How does this actually benefit Rowan students?

A: Rowan is treating the whole West Campus as a giant, real‑world lab.

On the Wellness Village side, they’re talking about:

• Nursing students doing clinical work in the retirement community and Inspira facilities.
• Music therapy and animal‑assisted therapy students working with older adults and other residents.
• Nutrition, exercise science and wellness students running and evaluating programs at the Wellness Institute.
• Retired professionals living in the village becoming professors of practice, mentors, or consultants.

On the RCMI/innovation park side:

• Engineering and science students working alongside companies on advanced manufacturing, med-tech, digital engineering and “food as pharmacy” agriculture.
• Companies co‑locating R&D space next to Rowan labs and hiring out of those teams.

The center builds on Rowan’s existing “hands on, minds on” engineering model and existing partnerships with agencies like the U.S. Department of Defense, Transportation, the FAA and others.

Rowan already has strong internship pipelines. The West Campus plan is about doing that “at scale” and tying it to a broader district.

BINJE: What exactly is the Center for Manufacturing Innovation?

A: North of Route 322, the Rowan University Center for Manufacturing Innovation will anchor a larger innovation park. The center itself is planned at about 350,000 square feet and will:

• House and expand Rowan’s Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute, CREATES, Machine & AI/VR Center and Digital Engineering Hub.
• Offer leasable research and lab space for private companies.
• Provide shared fabrication equipment and testbeds.
• Focus on technologies like 3D printing, cold‑spray metal deposition, lightweight materials, digital twins and AI‑driven engineering.

The pitch: companies can shorten the path from prototype to production, tap Rowan’s faculty and student talent, and build or keep high‑skill jobs in South Jersey.

BINJE: What about energy, traffic and all the usual “big project” headaches?

A: Those are very much on the table.

On energy, Houshmand said Rowan has:

• Been in conversation with Atlantic City Electric for 2–3 years about power capacity on West Campus.
• Talked with Vineland officials, who are building fuel‑cell‑powered data centers and bought 42 acres in Carneys Point from Rowan for a solar farm.
• Looked at options like fuel cells, solar and, longer‑term, gas turbines for future needs, especially if larger data‑center projects move forward.

He separated those future data‑center concepts from the Wellness Village/RCMI plan, but made the point that reliable, large‑scale power will be essential if they’re serious about AI‑driven health and manufacturing.

On traffic and local impacts:

• The site already benefits from exits off Route 55 and existing internal roads.
• Fairmount said they expect full traffic studies and will adjust site plans as needed.

Municipal approvals (planning boards, councils, town‑hall meetings) in Harrison Township and Glassboro are next, and will shape details like access, road improvements and tax agreements.

Here are a number of stories from BINJE on recent moves by Rowan that connect to the vision of the West Campus project:

• Rowan unveils AI-powered digital engineering hub; 
• Rowan, FDU join forces in health care education; 
• Rowan celebrates grand opening of first veterinary school; 
• Rowan receives $1M for transportation, engineering research;
• Rowan conference to tackle state’s energy future;
• Rowan joins academic aerospace consortium;
• Rowan, Cooper EDA create Strategic Innovation Center;