Apartments near Barracks Road likely to house nearly 600 graduate students; construction to begin this May

The Charlottesville City Planning Commission approved initial plans this week for a two-phase construction of a 300-unit apartment complex on the corner of Arlington Blvd. and Millmont St, near the Barracks Road Shopping Center.

Peak Campus Development, the company heading the project, hopes to begin construction this May, Peak Campus Development spokesperson Jeff Githens said.

The complex will be built in two phases. The first calls for the demolition of existing physical structures, to be replaced by a 230-unit complex with an attached parking garage. In the second stage of construction, the developers plan to build 70 additional residential units. When complete, the development will house nearly 600 residents, likely graduate students.

“We’re proposing to build a Class A apartment building with high conductivity to its surroundings,” Githens said. “[The building] is optimally situated between shopping centers in Charlottesville for access to both retail and to U.Va.”

Three medical offices currently occupy the space: Jefferson Trial Behavioral System, Region Ten Community Services and the University of Virginia Psychology Department.

The first phase of construction will displace the Jefferson Trial Behavioral System and Region Ten Community Services. Offices rented by the University Psychology Department will remain occupied until August 2014, when the second phase of construction begins.

Peak Campus Development aims to create “better pedestrian interaction with the building and [accommodation for] additional entrances,” and “improve the façade appearance at street level.”

A required traffic survey showed the effect of the project on traffic patterns near the complex.

“[Findings] indicate that the project will have a lower impact on area traffic than the existing use,” said Ebony Walden, a project planner for Charlottesville’s Department of Neighborhood Development.

The project plans are designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, Walden said. The complex will also feature bicycle storage and will be located along a bicycle path and a bus route.

“Alternate transportation is important to us and to the city,” Githens said. “We want to be as environmentally friendly as we can to optimize the use of utilities.”

Walden said she hopes the development will be an asset to the city.

“I hope it will encourage walkability, increase commercial activity in the Barrack’s Road Shopping Center and provide new housing options to Charlottesville’s students and residents,” Walden said.

Peak Campus Development also plans to make a donation of $360,000 to the City’s housing fund to promote affordable housing initiatives throughout Charlottesville.

Read more here:
Apartments near Barracks Road likely to house nearly 600 graduate students; construction to begin this May