This month’s biggest local news perhaps made the smallest splash. Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors reversed itself in rescinding its plans to construct a Student Life Village. Little media attention has been given to this decision, although having the potential to make a major impact on life in Blacksburg.
Blacksburg shares a dilemma with many small university towns – how to benefit from the tremendous resources associated with proximity to a university without being overwhelmed and losing a small-town quality of life. Virginia Tech has been growing, bringing with it increasing impact on Blacksburg. The total student population has experienced fairly steady sustained growth for a long time – as illustrated by the fall 2024 enrolment of 38,857 being about 5000 higher than in fall 2017, with only about 5000 students at the end of WWII. Students must live somewhere, so increased enrollment means more use of local stores, restaurants, bars, and other shops. Students use the local streets and public transportation, rent apartments, and some even have their parents buy condominiums for their use and to rent out to other students. University staff jobs grow coincident with enrolment, which has a notable impact on demand for family and middle-class housing.
Virginia Tech’s plan to create a Student Life Village, approved in 2022, provided a path for the university to continue to grow, while reducing the impact of more housing development on the community. The plan included on-campus housing for up to 5000 students, while also offering an attractive environment for dining, exercise, study, and other features integrated around a concept of well-being. The Village was envisioned as a healthful and desirable place to live, while reducing the need for more infrastructure in town. To many, it seemed like a plan meeting the needs of the University while helping minimize any adverse impacts to the broader community.
The Board of Visitors rescinded the plan at its Mar. 24-25 meeting without providing explanation for its decision (at least any that I could find.) The 2022 decision approval had met little local opposition other than that expressed by some private development interests. The 2025 decision to rescind the plan already has resulted in concerns expressed by local town officials, and a bit of bewilderment about the reason for the reversal.
Personally wondering why Virginia Tech suddenly reversed its plan left me thinking about the composition of the board who made the decision. Four-year appointments are made to this board by the governor, with possible reappointment to a second term. With Governor Youngkin now in his final year as governor, the great majority of the board are his appointments. Perhaps reading into this too much, might this reversal simply reflect a difference in political party philosophy? With the only major opposition to the Student Village plan coming from local developers, perhaps the board’s philosophy has changed to one favoring private development? Alternatively, is it reflective of the economy now being very unpredictable, and the current board members not believing it prudent for the university to make such a long-term and substantial financial investment? Perhaps there are other reasons as well – unfortunately the discussion about the village was not made public. Quite surprising (and personally troubling) is that the reasons for such an important decision made about a public university were not made public.
Perhaps an unintended beneficial consequence of this reversal is to remind us of the far-reaching impact of a governor. The board composition changed considerably between 2022 and 2025, and unclear is how much the reversal about the village was more reflective of a difference in Board membership or of a change in economic conditions. As we enter a new election year and again choose a governor, it’s good to remember that our choice has impact down to the local level. Yet something else to think about in deciding how to vote!
Gary Silverman, Columnist
