Someone wanting to take a glimpse at future construction projects at the University of Virginia might get their start at the Major Capital Plan.
Current initiatives that are underway include $160 million for student housing on Ivy Road, $82 million for the Karsh Institute of Democracy’s new building on the same street, and the $375 million Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology. The document also tracks funding sources to distinguish between gifts, debt, and institutional funds.
Future buildings and new infrastructure do not get on the list without approval by the Board of Visitors.
“Projects both go through the [Buildings and Grounds Committee] for consideration of the project itself, the design,” said J.J. Davis, UVA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “It comes to the Finance Committee to make sure there’s a solid financial plan that underpins it.”
The Finance Committee took a look at an amendment to the plan at their meeting on April 16. One project on the most recently adopted plan is $8 million for renovation of The Park at North Grounds. The facility originally opened in 1997 and has several athletic fields.
Davis said this project was first added to the plan in 2024 and is intended to upgrade a place that gets a lot of use but may not have the capacity to continue as is.
“We had nearly 2,000 reservations,” Davis said. “It has employees, a range of university programs and activities. The facility’s current condition is quite poor. Not only in terms of the structure and use, but also from a safety and security perspective.”
Davis said a new financial plan for these renovations is in place and the cost estimate for a first phase of renovations has increased to $10 million.
“There’s actually a lot of utility expansion,” Davis said. “There’s construction of a new maintenance facility, relocation and reconstruction of recreational and significant upgrades to both safety, security, lighting, cameras, accessibility and stormwater systems. There will also be a new maintenance access road from behind which will provide emergency vehicles access to the site.”
Davis said there were about 1,300 public safety calls for service to the area last year for injuries.
The plan is to use $8 million in debt and $2 million in institutional funds to cover the cost. The facility is generally used by those in the UVA community with periodic access from the public.
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