New buildings sprout up around Academic Campus

Despite the rumors making their way through campus, VCU did not buy the Hardees building on the corner of Shaffer and West Broad streets. Paul Jez, assistant vice president of business services and treasurer, said someone in the private sector now owns the property. Although traditional fast food doesn’t seem to work on college campuses anymore, he hopes the space will be used to benefit students. He said he has heard rumors of it being turned into a retail or residential space.

“That is a wonderful corner,” Jez said.

As the sign on the door of the bookstore warns, do not park in the old Hardees lot or your car will be towed by the new owner.

Remember the old Red Light Inn, the adult entertainment establishment that used to exist on West Grace Street that The VCU Real Estate Foundation purchased for $280,000 last year? While the university has never had plans to use the building for classes or offices, the foundation hopes to rent it to a company or person that will “compliment campus life,” Jez said. He pointed out that there are already many outlets conducive to student life on the 800 and 900 blocks of West Grace Street.

“We will continue our efforts to try to find a suitable tenant,” he said.

Walking by the Hibbs Building, one can’t help but notice a lot full of gravel surrounded by a chained-link fence. The mostly barren site is slated to become the Shaffer Court Dining Center, said Donald Cosgrove, director of construction management.

The foundation for the two-story building is being poured now and the entire project is expected to be completed by summer 2004. Cosgrove said students shouldn’t be affected by the construction.

“The only impact may be on the ally between the site and the Franklin Street Gym,” he said.

Another sign of change around campus is the new dorms being built on the corner of West Broad and Belvidere streets. The dorms, which are already full for fall 2003, will open August 1, said Jane Grassadonia, director of residence education.

The two-and-four-bedroom apartments will be similar to the West Broad facility in that they will have the same amenities and a comparable layout, she said. The Broad and Belvidere apartments, as the facility is now being called, will, however, have an extra courtyard.

The 412 students in the new residence facility will have a lounge with a pool table and a section for quiet study. Grassadonia said students might not want to walk the distance to the library to do their homework. The new apartment complex will also have an adjacent parking deck, as residents at the West Broad apartments are able to utilize the West Broad Street Parking Deck.

As the apartments are away from the main hub of the university, Grassadonia said campus police will increase their patrols in the area.

“I’m going to count of them,” she said.

The facility will also be equipped with security cameras in the parking deck and double coverage at the security desk.

When students need to walk onto campus for classes, Grassadonia said she encourages them to cross Broad Street at an intersection that is pedestrian friendly, such as by the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The City of Richmond is working with the university to construct plans that would ease traffic on the corner of West Broad and Belvidere streets and make it easier for pedestrians, such as brightly painted crosswalks.

“That’s a very busy intersection in the city,” she said, adding that she’s working on a plan that will accommodate the volume of traffic anticipated on move-in day.

Gladding Residence Center is also under construction. Phase 3 will be complete in August and a new wing will open for students in the honors program, Grassadonia said. The suit-style apartments will house 172 students.

Each floor will have a lounge with a kitchen, she said. The new addition will also have another courtyard.