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INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY

CHAPTER i

reimagined as spaces to foster innovative collaboration across academic disciplines and between the university and the private sector. The CID will include new classrooms and work spaces, as well as housing, bringing many more students, faculty, and staff to the western edge of Downtown. Finally, the Town of Blacksburg is planning to build a new parking garage on the site of an existing municipal parking lot alon g Progress Street, in order to provide more parking capacity in the heart of Downtown. All three of these projects, which will bring an influx of people, jobs, and activity into Downtown, will be in motion very soon. The time to plan for accommodating, welcoming, and supporting this influx is now.

bringing students closer to campus and Downtown, potentially reducing traffic on and around Main Street. Today, there are three major planned projects in Downtown that will have at least as great an impact, if not greater, than all of these previous efforts combined. The first is the redevelopment of the Old Blacksburg Middle School site, which will bring hundreds of new rental and for-sale housing units and tens of thousands of square feet of new commercial and employment space to Downtown. The second is the formation of th e Creativity and Innovation District (CID) at Virginia Tech—a cluster of buildings at the eastern edge of campus, bordering Downtown, that are being

The Downtown Blacksburg of today is already a more vibrant place than it was twenty years ago, thanks to a number of major public and private investments in the area. On the public side, the town has improved the sidewalk environment along Main Street and College Avenue, creating a more pleasant place to walk, shop, and dine. These improvements were punctuated by the creation of the Prices Fork Roundabout, which eased traffic flow on and off of Main Street and elevated the appearance of the entrance to Downtown from the north. The town also renovated Market Square Park, the Alexander Black House, and the Blacksburg Motor Company building, creating more inviting spaces for community and civic activities. These public efforts have been complemented by private development all along Main Street, primarily of new residential units. These include new buildings on previously under-developed sites, such as Kent Square (made possible through a public-private partnership) and the Brownstone, as well as the rehabilitation of historic buildings such as the Lofts at the Lyric and Lofts at the Bank. Virginia Tech has also contributed to enhancing Downtown activity, with the development of a cultural destination in the Moss Arts Center and new commercial space and parking capacity at North End Center. Finally, the development of The Edge, the largest student housing complex within walking distance of Downtown, offers a precedent for DOWNTOWN PROGRESS Public and private investments along Main Street have made Downtown Blacksburg a more vibrant and welcoming place. Major planned projects will significantly add to that ongoing transformation.

PROGRESS STREET LOT

OLD MIDDLE SCHOOL SITE

7 Downtown Blacksburg Strategic Plan

DRAPER ROAD

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION DISTRICT

Major projects planned in Downtown Blacksburg