Virginia Tech board approves $19.5 million for planning of Student Life Village

The first phase plan includes more than 1,000 beds for the village at north campus that will also include recreational and dining amenities, according to university documents.

“The university needs to construct 1,750 beds of living-learning student housing as soon as practicable,” university documents said. “Without these 1,750 beds, the effective capacity of the residential inventory, and particularly the living-learning programs, will begin shrinking within the decade as beds are pulled off-line.”

New beds in phase one of the village will replace headroom lost when Slusher Hall is demolished, and provide swing space ahead of other traditional residence hall renovations, documents said. The new student village will also house a living-learning community for global business and analytics students.

Phase one planning includes preliminary design work, such as drawings, and will be paid for using auxiliary revenues designated for facility improvements, university documents said. The board of visitors may authorize construction of the student life village after project details firm up.

The earliest time that phase one of the student village might open is fall 2028, documents said. The full scope of the student life village is to include up to 5,000 beds, university officials said previously. 

The Virginia Tech class of 2027, who will be first-year students this fall, are expected to number more than 7,100 people, said university President Tim Sands.

“To keep our class sizes at this level, on-campus housing needs to be prioritized,” Sands said, thanking the board for approving the village planning. “Without it, we would have some very difficult choices to make downstream, including potentially reducing the size of our incoming class.”

Also on Tuesday, the board approved a resolution to renovate the football locker rooms.

“This 4,200 square-foot renovation project provides a state-of the art hydrotherapy suite and renovations to the players’ restrooms and shower facilities within the Jamerson Athletic Facility,” university documents said. “The $5.9 million total project cost will be funded with private gifts.”