A valuable role played by the Charlottesville Planning Commission is to serve as a clearinghouse for information on what is happening around the community.
Since 1986, a non-voting member has represented the University of Virginia’s Office of the Architect. Currently that’s Michael Joy who had an update on various projects.
“The Darden graduate housing is currently under construction and that’s still on schedule to be completed by the fall of 2027,” Joy said. “And that’s just to remind people that’s 348 beds will be included there.”
This will be the first time Darden has had its own housing for students. The idea came from a recent update of the vision for the Graduate School of Business, as I reported back in September 2022.
Construction is also underway on an undergraduate housing building in the Emmet-Ivy Corridor for 780 beds as part of an initiative to build enough places to require all second year students to live on Grounds. Virginia’s Art and Architectural Review Board recommended approval of the design at their meeting on May 2.
That’s also expected to wrap-up in the fall of 2027.
This fall, the new 1,250 space parking garage at the Fontaine Research Park will open.
“A lot of the work happening right now is not parking garage related, but it’s the access roads and some of the utility hookups outside of the garage,” Joy said. “So you should see a dramatic shift when it comes regarding parking, particularly with our health system workers.”
Construction of the North Grounds parking garage is also underway and should be completed in 2026. That’s near the Olympic Sports Center which will also open this fall.
“With the completion of that facility, the teams that are currently located in modular units along Copeley Bridge near the railway, those will be removed with the plan to restore that area as a grass practice field,” Joy said.
Heading back to Fontaine, Joy said the Manning Institute for Biotechnology will be completed in the fall of 2027. Another project underway is construction of a new heat plant at the Fontaine Research Park.
“This is kind of a first for UVA, but also sort of a fairly innovative project at higher education institutions,” Joy said. “It’s a non-combustion geothermal plant, so it’ll be providing the thermal energy to power the Manning Institute biotechnology. So it’s a lot of excitement. It’s an incredibly efficient way to help the university meet its carbon goals.”
There should be a topping out ceremony sometime this July for the Karsh Institute of Democracy in the Emmet-Ivy Corridor.
“The exterior skin of that will start to appear later this summer and fall. And so that will be on track to open in the fall of 2026,” Joy said.
The new hotel and convention center known as the Virginia Guesthouse will open early in 2026.
More on UVA development coming up in a future newsletter as I go through the recent meeting of the UVA Buildings and Grounds Committee.
As you conclude this article: How many people even read to this part? Well, hello if you do! This story was originally published in the June 11, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. Now it’s posted on this site because that way it will be easier for people to find in the future. To ensure a future for Town Crier Productions, take a look here and see how you can help!
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