At this point in the community’s development, nothing happens in isolation. A forthcoming renovation to the home of one of the University of Virginia’s most well-known institutions could lead the way toward providing a new pathway in a congested area.
“While the Center for Politics has been very successful in developing and running its extensive roster of programs, the size and layout of the existing house hampers the Center’s daily operations, and prevents them from fully engaging students and community in hosting larger seminars and events,” said Alice Raucher, architect for the university, at a recent meeting of the Board of Visitors.
That house is Montesano, a mid-19th-century structure that was expanded in 1907. More than a century later, the 4,700-square-foot building is nestled within an area that will transform as the 21st century unfolds and UVA continues to grow.
“The project includes modest renovations to the main house, including converting the first-floor conference room to a collaboration hub and combining small rooms on the second floor into an open office space,” Raucher said.
The renovation will also be among the first redevelopment projects within the geographic scope of a master plan for the redevelopment of Ivy Gardens. UVA’s real estate foundation purchased the 17-acre site in 2016, and plans to convert it from a 20th-century apartment complex to a mixed-use area with more housing, academic space, and room for businesses.
Vehicular access to the Center for Politics is currently via Old Ivy Road, which is within the scope of a Virginia Department of Transportation pipeline study to determine ways to address current and future congestion. Over the past two decades, the university has built multiple office buildings along a stretch of two-lane roadway constrained by a narrow railroad underpass at the eastern end.
UVA has not been the only source of the gradual addition of new neighbors for Montesano over the years. The multistory University Village was built in the early 1990s, and has room to up its existing 98 units.
In March, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning that will add 525 apartments next door. The board did so after being told about the pipeline study of potential ways to address the less-than-urban quality of the roadway.
University Village is accessed by Crestwood Drive, a road that is owned by the homeowners association, and the Center for Politics’ use is by permission. The new schematic design for Montesano shows a new connection to Leonard Sandridge Road.
L.F. Payne is a local developer and former congressman who sits on the BOV’s Buildings and Grounds Committee. He’s also a member of the task force that’s overseeing the pipeline study.
“One of the big issues there is going to be how do the people, between the two, many of whom are UVA employees, get out of there,” Payne said. “I think the connection between Old Ivy Road and Leonard Sandridge Road is going to be really important.”
Raucher said there’s no current plan to make a road connection to Old Ivy Road, and reminded Payne and the committee that Crestwood Drive is privately owned.
That pipeline study is expected to be completed next summer, and will result in potential alternatives for transportation solutions for all modes of travel.