BLACKSBURG, Va. – A massive development in Blacksburg is another step closer to breaking ground.
Eagle Construction of Virginia has been hired to build 90 - 100 townhomes at the Midtown Blacksburg development. The project will be steps from downtown and will feature a hotel, retail, commercial and office space, a police station, parking garage, and residential units.
A Virginia Tech graduate and the Eagle Construction president, Josh Goldschmidt, said the homes will be energy efficient, appeal to families, retirees and young professionals alike. There are already more than 150 interested buyers.
“We think Midtown is going to have a lot of opportunity on property, but with Main Street and Blacksburg and all that Virginia Tech has to offer with football and basketball and all the other sports, we think this is probably going to be one of the best mixed-use opportunities we’ve seen," Goldschmidt said. "I also happen to be a Hokie so I think being able to walk to football games, there couldn’t be anything better than that.”
Eagle is hoping to break ground on the townhomes in May. Town officials are hoping to break ground on the police station and parking garage in the summer, with much of the project finished as early as 2021.
“If we start in the summer, it’s about an 18- to 24-month building process," said Deputy Town Manager Chris Lawrence.
The town just approved a $1.6 million contract with WM Jordan Company to design the 300+ space parking garage and the 35,000 sq. ft. police department. The town will fund those projects for about $25.5 million.
The entire development is expected to cost over $100 million.
“All the infrastructure and roads and parking and buildings, all the systems that go into that, it’s just a lot of coordination," Lawrence said.
Lawrence and Goldschmidt said the development will be a much-needed jolt to the economy and feel of the area.
“To be able to bring several hundred people to live within walking distance -- that are not students -- starts to help change the market," Lawrence said.
“It’s going to be a destination,” Goldschmidt said.