The Board of Visitors Buildings and Grounds Committee convened Thursday afternoon, where members unanimously approved updates to the College at Wise’s 2035 Master Plan and a schematic design for a new Research Data Center at Fontaine Research Park. The Committee also heard updates on design plans for the School of Data Science and Entrepreneurship building and revisions to the University’s fiscal year 2027 Major Capital Plan.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee oversees maintenance and construction of University buildings and is responsible for matters related to the University’s land use.
The Committee unanimously approved Wise’s Master Plan for the College at Wise during Thursday's meeting, which outlines plans for the campus through the next nine years. Chancellor Donna Henry and University Architect Alice Raucher presented the plan and according to the presentation, Wise plans to construct additional academic buildings and complete dorm renovations to accommodate first-year housing needs with an additional 80-100 beds.
“We are a growing campus,” Henry said. “Over the past three years, we have grown enrollment about 5 percent a year. Next fall, [we are] just a little bit nervous because we may outgrow our housing on campus, but it is an exciting thing that we're looking at, and we do have some solutions for housing for the fall.”
Raucher added that Wise plans to develop four new academic buildings, expand and improve Greear Gymnasium and construct a multi-use facility for hosting athletic competitions, public events and conferences. The plan also proposes four new academic building sites and additional research buildings.
Raucher also presented design plans for a new research data center at Fontaine Research Park, which will be powered by an energy plant that begins with four megawatts of capacity and will have the ability to grow to 16 megawatts. U.Va. Health IT will also move to this building, Raucher said. The data center will be designed to maximize energy and site efficiencies with its close proximity to the existing energy plant at Fontaine.
“The design of the data center is meant to complement the design of the energy plant, as well as draw upon the existing materials of the adjacent buildings at Fontaine,” Raucher said.
Beyond action items, the Committee also heard two presentations, including another by Raucher which discussed designs for a new School of Data Science and Entrepreneurship building to be housed on Emmett-Ivy Corridor. The building will be connected to the original Data Science building, which was completed in 2024, and will hold entrepreneurship-focused spaces, classrooms and research space.
Only two sites along the University’s Ivy Road property do not yet have specific plans, Raucher said. These sites, which are adjacent to the Data Science buildings, will have landscaping and a temporary trash collection area for nearby buildings until the University identifies programs which they could house.
“With the completion of this project and then the Center for the Arts, only sites 2A and 2B remain unprogrammed, quite extraordinary for a 10 year plan so far,” Raucher said.
Board member David Okonkwo raised concerns about pedestrian access to the Ivy Corridor from Central Grounds. Raucher said that the city of Charlottesville is planning to widen sidewalks along Emmett Street and to update the intersection of Emmett and Ivy to synchronize traffic light signals, both of which will increase accessibility.
Senior Vice President for Operations Lois Stanley later provided an overview on the University’s FY2027 Major Capital Plan — a long-term plan which is reapproved by the Board annually and ensures that major construction, renovation or infrastructure projects align with the University’s priorities — to Committee members. The proposed plan will cost $1.8 billion total, down from the FY2026 total of $2.1 billion.
The University is proposing the addition of five new projects to the plan — a multi-purpose practice field for U.Va. Athletics, two new Health System suites, road construction near North Grounds and renovations to the Health System’s Core Lab. After making additional revisions, Stanley will seek approval on the plan from the Committee at its next meeting in June, she said.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee will reconvene during the next meetings of the Board June 4 and 5.
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