The University of Mary Washington Foundation commemorated the beginning of construction on the five-story Hyatt Place hotel at a groundbreaking ceremony in the Eagle Village mixed-use development on Friday, September 21. The foundation also celebrated the recent completion of Eagle Village Drive, a pedestrian and vehicular connection between the development and Mary Washington Hospital. “Eagle Village, from day one, has always represented the very essence of urban renewal and economic revitalization and how a university and a community can come together to initiate positive change in a neighborhood,” Jeff Rountree, CEO of the UMW Foundation, told a group of more than 100 gathered for the event. “The addition of this connector drive and a first-class hotel are just the latest pieces in this rather large and complex development puzzle.” Pamela J. White, rector for the UMW Board of Visitors, told guests that the new hotel and the Eagle Village complex provide a dramatic … [Read more...]