Both Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg are in the process of planning for more housing, for students and non-students.
Blacksburg has a population of just over 44,000 people, according to the U.S. Census. That includes an estimated 25,000 students who attend Virginia Tech.
“We’re a small town,” said Matt Hanratty, deputy town manager for Blacksburg. “[Virginia Tech has] land on campus that they need to be smart about putting housing on. And we need to be strategic where students go off campus. And sometimes there’s friction there. But we all need to do our fair share, or it’s not going to work long term.”
This year, Virginia Tech is evaluating its long-term plan for on-campus housing, and how growth may impact the need for more dorms.
Virginia Tech is taking a critical eye to evaluate its plans for residence halls. Last month, the Board of Visitors passed a resolution to provide funds for a long-term housing plan. Several dorms need critical renovations, and two new residence halls are also in the works, which will be located between the Duck Pond and The Inn at Virginia Tech, said university spokesperson Mark Owzcarski.
“It’s gonna take decades to do this,”said Owzcarski. “You can’t do them all at once, because we need the beds.”
Owzcarski said they may have a better idea by this summer of a timeline and cost for future housing projects at Virginia Tech.
At the same time, Blacksburg, the home for Virginia Tech’s main campus, is in the early stages of updating their zoning and subdivision ordinances, which may mean more housing, or different types of housing, are allowed in some areas.
“We need housing for everybody in our community,” said Hanratty. “We have a university here. We have people here that commute in here. And if they don’t live here, they’re going to be on our roads. And our roads, we’re not going to keep widening them.”
Blacksburg is working with Camiros, an urban planning consulting firm, over the next two years to help update their development ordinances, and residents will have the opportunity to provide feedback. Any changes would go town council for a vote.
