Ball State is moving forward with a 2-year-old plan after purchasing Hiatt Printing, following negotiations and a dropped eminent domain case.

The university spent $450,000 to buy the last piece of property needed to build McKinley Commons, a four-story residence hall, hotel, conference area and restaurant space.

The McKinley Commons project, originally announced in 2012, will function as a living-learning community for around 50 students as well as a fully functioning hotel. The building also will offer laboratory space for hospitality, food and event management students.

“I don’t see anything other than good things for our students with the program,” said Sotiris Hji-Avgoustis, chairperson for the department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

The university announced Friday that it purchased Hiatt Printing for $50,000 more than its original offer in 2012.

The announcement comes a few weeks after Chris Hiatt said he planned to shut down his Hiatt Printing location at 506 N. McKinley Ave., which closed Friday. Hiatt’s other location, at 1716 N. Wheeling Ave., will have longer hours and the T.I.S. College Bookstore in the Village will offer course materials from Hiatt Printing.

“I’m glad we were able to come up with a resolution that works for my business and for the university,” Hiatt said in the press release.

Tony Proudfoot, a university spokesperson, said the university will try to stick as close as possible to the original plan for McKinley Commons. However, exact costs and a timetable are currently unavailable.

“We are certain we want to get started as soon as we can,” he said.

In 2012, McKinley Commons was estimated to cost $25.9 million and would be paid for through tax-exempt revenue bonds.

At the time, President Jo Ann Gora said the facility would be considered an auxiliary operation, making it not require capital funding from the state or student tuition. The university’s other auxiliary campus operations include John R. Emens Auditorium and residence halls, which operate off their own revenue.

Hji-Avgoustis said he thinks McKinley Commons will offer students the chance to practice in a real world environment.

“My feeling is that it will be welcome news for our students,” he said. “Parents and prospective students, as well, will see that it is a step forward.”

He said because he wasn’t at Ball State in 2012 when the project was announced, he is looking forward to learning the details of the project and working with the university to finalize them.

Proudfoot said the L.A. Pittenger Student Center hotel will continue to operate for the foreseeable future, though McKinley Commons will eventually replace it. The building will offer 100 rooms and possibly two restaurants and several small meeting areas, according to a press release.

“McKinley Commons is important in so many ways,” Gora said in a press release. “... McKinley Commons will be a strong anchor in the Village. I couldn’t be more pleased to have it moving forward.”

The project was put on hold after Hiatt declined Ball State’s offer for him to sell the property. Ball State offered him $400,000 for the property in April 2012, which was $25,000 more than its appraised value.

Hiatt asked $1.3 million for the land in 2013.

After failing to purchase the property, Ball State tried to obtain it through eminent domain, which is a governmental power to take private property and convert it to public use, according to law.cornell.edu. The university dropped the case in June 2013.

Hiatt contested the case, not only working to keep his business but also fighting the university’s right to privilege itself to property. He said in June 2013 that he planned to use his experience to work with legislators to change eminent domain law.

“Ball State, as any other subsidized university, shouldn’t have the capacity to condemn and seize private property,” Hiatt said at the time. “There’s a defect in Indiana that needs to be addressed. I hope this experience shows why the law needs to be changed.”

McKinley Commons has been in the works since 2012. Here's a timeline about the stages it has gone through:

April 23, 2012 — The university gives a written $400,000 offer to Chris Hiatt, owner of Hiatt Printing, for his business located on 506 N. McKinley Ave. where McKinley Commons is proposed to be built. The offer was $25,000 more than a market estimate.

April 25, 2012 — Ball State announces the McKinley Commons project, a four-story residence hall, hotel, conference center and restaurant space. The building is expected to house beds for 50 students and 100 hotel rooms, replacing the university's existing hotel in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.

Aug. 2, 2012 — The Board of Trustees cancel a meeting to discuss acquisition of Hiatt Printing, as the project is at a standstill. A university spokesperson said the meeting was canceled because Ball State was currently in formal and informal negotiations with Hiatt.

Sept. 5, 2012 — Ball State authorizes a plan to use eminent domain to obtain Hiatt Printing. Eminent domain allows government agencies to acquire property that will work to enhance the public good.

March 2013 — Delaware County Circuit Court 5 rules against Hiatt Printing in the eminent domain case. Hiatt said he planned to appeal the case to protect his four decades of business.

June 6, 2013 — Ball State drops the eminent domain case after a court ordered appraisal of $375,000 was offered for Hiatt Printing, but Hiatt requested $1.3 million. A university spokesperson said the gap could not be reconciled.

April 26, 2014 — Hiatt announces plans to close his McKinley Avenue location May 16 in an email to university customers. Instead, his business on Wheeling Avenue will have longer hours for students. He also worked out a deal with T.I.S. College Bookstore in the Village to allow students and professors to pick up course materials.

May 16, 2014 — Ball State announces plans to move forward with the McKinley Commons project after purchasing the Hiatt Printing location for $450,000. Hiatt Printing on McKinley Avenue closes.

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