Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns invites members of the campus and greater Muncie community to attend a public update on the University’s revitalization efforts in The Village—the commercial district located next to campus and IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.
The event will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, in the Legacy Room on the third floor of Cornerstone Center for the Arts, located at 520 E. Main Street in Muncie. Parking is available in the Cornerstone lots off Washington Street.
After years of planning, the University has begun to implement its comprehensive Village Revitalization Plan—an ambitious, long-term initiative to transform the district through a collaborative public-private partnership involving city leaders and development partners, including Schahet Hotels and Trademark Construction.
The vision: to create a best-in-class, multigenerational district driven by arts and culture, entertainment, and innovation. The revitalized Village will feature new venues for living, working, dining, and gathering, including a new Performing Arts Center, a distinctive new hotel, a Center for Innovation and Collaboration, and a new residential neighborhood.
At the June 4 update, President Mearns will provide a progress report on key projects currently under construction and preview upcoming phases of development. The presentation will be followed by a brief Q&A session.
Featured project updates include:
- The Performing Arts Center and adjacent Cantio Hotel, both scheduled to open in Summer 2026.
- The Center for Innovation and Collaboration, designed to foster entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary partnerships, and hands-on learning.
- New market-rate apartments, a Barnes & Noble community bookstore, and for-sale townhomes and single-family homes offering expanded residential options in The Village.
“These community events have been well attended, and I’m grateful for the strong interest in this project,” President Mearns said. “With construction underway on several sites, we’re seeing real progress.”
The June 4 forum builds on a series of public presentations and community conversations that have guided the revitalization effort since its early stages. Ball State’s planning has been informed by local feedback, philanthropic investment, and national models for transforming college-adjacent districts into destinations for creativity, commerce, and collaboration.
For more information and to follow the project’s progress, visit bsu.edu/thevillage.
