UMW Acquires Adjacent Shopping Center Site
Mary Washington students long have frequented the Park & Shop retail center to stock up on groceries, rent movies, or pick up fast food. Now, the University community is about to become even better acquainted with the strip shopping center across U.S. 1 from the Fredericksburg campus.
In December, after seven months of negotiations, the UMW Real Estate Foundation announced the purchase of the 21-acre site. Plans for the property include apartment-style housing for upperclass students plus retail and recreational facilities, such as a movie theater, a bookstore, restaurants, and spaces for the performing arts. The property may also eventually provide affordable housing opportunities for Mary Washington faculty and staff.
“Simply put, we envision a mixed-use ‘village’ of student and faculty housing, enhanced retail and office space, and entertainment venues,” UMW Real Estate Foundation President Kathleen Shepherd Mehfoud ’70 and Vice President for University Advancement Jeff W. Rountree ’91 wrote in a Dec. 7 letter to the community.
The first priority in completing the project is to provide apartments for as many as 400 students, they said. Other goals include upgrading existing shops, providing housing for Fredericksburg professionals, and constructing a parking garage to accompany apartments.
Officials also have kept student safety in mind with plans to build a bridge over U.S. 1 to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. An extension of campus walk, the bridge could link the newly purchased space with the existing main campus.
Also connecting the two sites will be Mary Washington’s signature architecture and ambience, which organizers plan to incorporate into the new property. Officials aim to transform the site, now occupied by retailers such as Giant, Roses, and Einstein Bros. Bagels, into a park-like development with splashing fountains, brick walkways and shops, and plenty of green space.
The University’s commitment to environmental integrity also will extend to the property, with plans to achieve recognition as the region’s first mixed-use development certified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
The UMW Real Estate Foundation paid $18.75 million for the property and expects the final cost to total at least $60 million, according to Rountree, who directs the private, nonprofit real estate foundation. The entire project, which could take up to 10 years to complete, will be funded by the Foundation, with no money coming from student fees or state funds.
“The Foundation is excited about the acquisition of this land,” the Dec. 7 letter states, “and the many opportunities this purchase presents for UMW faculty, staff, and students.”
To learn more about plans for UMW’s new “Eagle Village” or to submit your own ideas for development, visit www.umw.edu/village.