The Virginia Tech Foundation submitted its first concept plan to the City of Alexandria for the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in North Potomac Yard.
The plans call for the removal of the current movie theater at Potomac Yard and replacing the building and adjacent parking lots with several smaller buildings dedicated to academics, offices, residential and retail.
“Accompanying the concept plan are related proposals for JBG SMITH/Lionstone’s development proposal for Phase 1 of the North Potomac Yard Small Area Plan infrastructure, office, retail and residential uses,” according to the City of Alexandria’s website. “The plans are intended to implement the vision for North Potomac Yard as a mixed-use urban community around the new Potomac Yard Metrorail station.”
See the complete initial plan here.
City of Alexandria
The three academic buildings (noted in red, above) will be on the north end of the area, the other six additional buildings combining retail, offices and residential with parking underneath will be toward the south end behind what is now Target.
Future plans are in place for a coordinated development district in the area now occupied by the area's main retailers including Target, Barnes & Noble, Michaels and multiple other big box stores.
The image below comes from the City of Alexandria’s presentation at a Nov. 14 community meeting regarding Potomac Yard and comes from a 2017 coordinated development district plan, before Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus became part of the equation.
City of Alexandria
The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus will offer master’s and doctoral level programs, research and more focused on STEM fields such as computer science and software engineering. Classes will start this fall in vacant retail space in Potomac Yard while construction starts on a permanent Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in the coming years.