Hearing Scheduled For Aug. 12
A five-story, 600-bed dormitory that would have 218,525 square feet of floor space is being proposed for Southern Virginia University. Plans for this massive project were presented to the Buena Vista Planning Commission last Tuesday, July 10.
The planned new residence hall, which SVU officials hope to have under construction later this year, “would replace existing housing with updated facilities and provide for enrollment growth over the next five to 10 years,” said Gavin Worley of Perkins & Orrison, who made a presentation alongside James Ballstaedt of SVU.
The structure is to be built on the western side of campus, north of the university library and west of Kimball Student Center. Seven existing one-story structures – five modular student housing units, a single-family home and an administrative/residential building – would be removed to make way for the new construction.
The new structure would be over 70 feet tall. The height of the building from the main entrance level would be 60 feet, with false gables at each end of the building adding another 10 to 12 feet. Iconic Main Hall to the east is of a comparable height and visible from downtown and much of the city.
Two parking lots and trees from a wooded area would be eliminated. Overall, the project entails taking away 100 parking spaces while adding 209 new spaces for a net gain of 109. City and SVU officials are to discuss ways of adding more parking elsewhere on campus and whether SVU needs to adopt new policies regarding living on campus and ownership of vehicles.
Zoning regulations for the Seminary Hill District, which encompasses the SVU campus, prohibit new construction from obstructing views of Main Hall from downtown. Buildings can be no more than six stories high and cannot exceed 1,000 feet of absolute elevation above sea level.
The site is criss-crossed with developed and undeveloped streets and alleys within 27th and 28th streets and Magnolia Avenue, necessitating the abandonment of some of these rights of way. Consolidation of all of the parcels for the project under SVU ownership would “simplify design and construction,” according to a city staff report.
The 600-bed dormitory configuration includes 100 units that have six single bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room and kitchen.
The city staff report, prepared by Tom Roberts, director of community development, views the project as “positive for the city’s housing market, aside from any benefits to the students themselves or the university. Affordable rental housing is a critical need for workers in the Rockbridge region, and availability of housing is one of the primary constraints to manufacturing attraction.”
Commission chair Dennis Hawes observed that it is a good project that will benefit the city’s housing market. Even so, he remarked, “I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around this – how it will all fit. … It’s very tall. It will be very visible from the city.”
Recalling past instances when projects have been proposed by SVU and then never materialized, Hawes asked if funding was in place for this project. “We’re working on it,” responded Ballstaedt. “The project won’t go forward unless we have the funding.” If sufficient funding is raised and city approvals are secured, he said it’s hoped that construction can begin in October. The estimated time for construction is about 12 to 18 months.
Melvin Henson talked about the need to make pedestrian traffic improvements by adding sidewalks and repairing stairs at each end of campus. One set of stairs that descends from campus down Seminary Hill to Magnolia Avenue, observed Roberts, is in “atrocious” condition. “It needs to be replaced.”
The city and SVU will need to collaborate to make these kinds of improvements for the safety of pedestrians, he added.
The flow of pedestrian traffic in and around campus is important to SVU, said Ballstaedt. “We want students going into the community.”
Roberts noted, after the meeting, that the proposed new dormitory was “an important project. It’s good for the school and good for community. It provides a more on-campus feel for the college experience. It’s good for the community in that students won’t need as many single family houses.”
A recent regional housing study showed that a shortage of workforce housing is inhibiting economic development. SVU’s planned big new dormitory would help address this issue, Roberts pointed out. “It’s good for everybody.”
In order for the project to move forward, SVU will need to attain a conditional use permit, certificates of appropriateness for demolitions and construction and abandonments of certain rights of way.
A public hearing is to be scheduled for the Planning Commission on Aug. 12. If favorable recommendations are forthcoming, the plans will then move onto City Council for final city approvals in September.
A COURTYARD separates the two separate wings of the planned new dormitory at Southern Virginia University, as viewed from the east in this artist’s rendering.
