Changes coming to NVCC Woodbridge campus

The Northern Virginia Community College Woodbridge campus will look significantly different starting next summer.

Nestled in a wooded area of Neabsco Mills Road between U.S. 1 and Dale Boulevard, the 37-year-old commuter college will break ground on a new support services building before constructing a new academic building adjacent to the current one used by the 8,700 full- and part-time students.

The new academic building—part of four that are planned for the campus—will likely include three science laboratories, a computer lab, classrooms, a cafeteria, a library and a blackbox theater, said Hill.

"We have to some extent all of those facilities in [the current] building," provost Sam Hill said. "We are just upgrading and adding additional capacity."

There are also plans to make the building "environmentally friendly," said Hill.

These buildings would likely be finished in 12 and 18 months, respectively.

And if funding becomes available through the General Assembly, the school hopes to build a workforce development center near the entrance of the campus. The school is hoping for $3.5 million from this year's legislative session in order to finish the planning and design of the building, said Hill.

Hill hopes to complete design of the workforce development building by fall 2011, start construction by the following spring and be ready to open by summer 2013. The construction costs are estimated at $25.3 million.

Hill said the workforce development building could provide excellent synergy to a proposed commercial development called Neabsco Commons adjacent to the campus. Neabsco Commons is scheduled to consist of approximately 200,000 square feet of hotel, office and retail businesses, as well as 360 residential units.

The school also has plans for an athletic facility or sportsplex thanks, in part, to interest shown by current students, said Hill. Currently, the campus boasts only a small indoor gym as well as outdoor tennis courts, an open recreation area and a soccer field currently used by Freedom High School teams.

In order to build the facility, a partnership with a private investor or possibly even Prince William County would likely be necessary, said Hill.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.<p>