Planning commission recommends approval for VCOM expansion at 1701 Craft Drive

The Blacksburg Planning Commission on the evening of the regular meeting voted to recommend approval of CUP-25-7, a conditional use permit that would allow the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) to expand operations onto a 4.448-acre parcel at 1701 Craft Drive in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

Staff planner Nick Baker told the commission the proposed educational use fits within the site’s Research and Development future land use designation and noted the parcel had previously supported office and research uses. The project would renovate the existing two-story building and add a two-story north-side addition totaling 16,200 square feet for laboratories, lecture halls and classroom space. "The applicants are proposing a new 2 story addition to the north side of the building, which would add a total of 16,200 square feet of new usable space," Baker said.

Why it matters: the expansion is intended to support additional medical education…