The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a rezoning plan to extend Fontaine Research Park by 31,000 square feet during a meeting last Wednesday night.
Fontaine Research Park, owned by the University of Virginia Foundation, is currently home to clinics and research facilities for a variety of medical disciplines within the University, including the Health South Office, a 50-bed rehabilitation hospital. The park also accommodates University administrative offices such as the Arts & Sciences Developmental Office and the Office of Management & Budget.
Prior to approval for the rezoning project, the allotted 565,000 square feet for the park already was in use. Board member Dennis Rooker echoed that the park is "virtually full" and that there is an ongoing demand for space, especially from sectors related to the University and its medical programs. Wednesday's decision may lead to expanding the park to 875,000 square feet to help accommodate some of this demand.
The rezoning also may allow for upward expansion, said Fred Missel, director of Design and Development for the University of Virginia Foundation. "The flexibility to increase the heights of buildings allows us to be more efficient," he said.
Increasing the development capacity for the land will allow the University to continue to expand research, clinic and office space within the park, Missel said. Other additions will include parking decks to replace surface parking that may be lost during the construction, as well as room to support commercial enterprises, such as snack bars and restaurants that will in turn support the park.\nThere also still is the potential to expand the hospital, he added, though any plans for a larger hospital are only hypothetical thus far.
The rezoning did come with caveats, one of which was a provision for a possible connecting road between Fontaine and Sunset Avenues. A 2004 joint study between the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University recommended such a road and cited the northeast side of Fontaine Research Park as a possible location for this road.
Missel said the foundation was required to accommodate plans for this road in its application for rezoning and that it has made appropriate provisions if such a road were to be built. Whether such a road will ever be build is uncertain, however, as it would depend upon other localities receiving funds to build various parts of the road.
There are some additional doubts about the road that could hinder its construction. Missel explained that there were some concerns that construction of a road would sever access to a nearby forestry office. He emphasized, however, that all access to that office "will be maintained and accommodated"
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