Collegiate Times

Anticipating the building of the new Center for the Arts on the intersection of North Main Street and Alumni Mall, university and town officials are supporting an attempt to add four acres of residential and retail space off of Turner Street, straddling Barger Street. The development would be an addition to Collegiate Square.

With approval of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, Virginia Tech Foundation CEO Raymond Smoot and local developer Bob Pack are now exploring a mixed-use development project that would add to downtown Blacksburg.

However, parking space is the priority.

Smoot said the project is a response to the Virginia Tech Arts Initiative, which works to invest more space on campus for the arts, including the Center for the Arts

"There is no way on campus to develop enough parking to make up for what we're losing plus cover additional need for the arts center," Smoot said.

Pack said his development could include up to 600 parking spaces, which would help alleviate the stress of losing 350 parking spaces to the Center for the Arts.

Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam is also interested in the future of the development.

"It is important that the arts center be integrated within the town," Rordam said. "It's important that the parking is not right there."

Town Manager Marc Verneil said this new Collegiate Square development goes along with many town initiatives.

"You need to have that mass of people," Verneil said. "You need to have foot traffic."

While the parking for the Center of the Arts is one main initiative of the potential project, other uses are also being considered.

Retail space is required to meet Blacksburg zoning requirements. Graduate student residences and university office space are also elements expected to be included in plans.

Revenue generated from the project will be used by the Virginia Tech Foundation to support the Center for the Arts and bring bigger acts to Blacksburg.

"At the end of 25 years, the ownership of the underlying land will pass to the foundation," Smoot said. "Revenue will be utilized to support programs of the arts center."

Smoot said he hopes the revenue will enable Tech to bring in major acts that usually would not perform in college towns.

Although the project is still in the exploration phase, all parties said it is an important accompaniment to Center of the Arts construction.

"We certainly want to have this parking available by the time we move on the site for the arts center," Smoot said.

Pack said he would like to get started by June 2009, but admitted that was optimistic.

No matter how long the process takes, Pack says he has the patience to stay with it.

He presented a color-coded map of the Collegiate Square area, which he said was created in 1999, when he first began planning the project.

Over the past 10 years, Pack has worked to bring multiple ownership groups on board. Currently, five separate ownership groups own the four-acre plot being looked at for development. Smoot said the university probably could not have worked with all the separate owners, but Pack has "chipped away" at the property to make it ready for the project.

"Assembling the property was the biggest challenge," Smoot said. "Bob (Pack) got these entities together."

Verneil said the town is not directly involved with the project, but it is pleased with the ideas presented.

"The best use is mixed-use," Verneil said.

Rordam praised another development Pack was involved with, Kent Square.

He said it has been used as a model of mixed-use town developments at major mayor conferences.

Pack, along with architect Tom Koontz, was in charge of Kent Square, and Pack said Koontz would be involved with the new Collegiate Square as well.

All parties expressed optimism that the project could move forward.

"It's very exciting to see that prospect out there," Rordam said. "We want Blacksburg to become the arts center of Southwest Virginia. This is just another step."