Like most UVA add-ons, the Fontaine Research Park has been built to resemble the Lawn, with a broad, verdant expanse of grass connecting two rows of brick buildings that frame a gorgeous mountain view. But unlike the Lawn—and even unlike other Lawn look-alikes such as the Darden business school—hardly a soul strolls across that beautiful strip of green. A plethora of cars rev around Ray C. Hunt Jr. Drive, but just before 2pm on a cold but clear weekday, only one woman, in nurse’s garb, could be seen on foot, making her own path across the Fontaine lawn.
 Albemarle County staff want employees at the Fontaine Research Park to have more businesses within walking distance. |
Why aren’t there more walkers? Maybe because there’s not much to walk to. A brief glimpse into "Café Fontaine," which serves hot food for two hours during lunch, reveals a small room with snack machines and four or five tables. The only other option for dining without getting on Fontaine Avenue is Aroma’s Café, which still requires a car to get to from the research park.
"I hit the bypass," says the lone pedestrian about what she does for lunch (she dodges away before this reporter can get her name).
The lack of options at Fontaine for middle of the day chores—getting lunch, filling prescriptions, picking up dry cleaning—was part of a hang up the Albemarle County Planning Commission had with the UVA Foundation‘s plans to more than double the park’s office space, adding six new buildings and three parking decks. That would bring it to a total of 725,000 additional square feet and 5,000 employees overall. The Foundation, having added on to the park in a piecemeal fashion to bring it up to its current 565,000-square-foot level, is wrapping up future improvements in one extensive rezoning request. New structures will be built mostly in existing parking lots at Fontaine, rather than clearing much additional land.
At a November 27 work session, Fred Missel, the Foundation’s director of design and development, said that the new design is "moving from what has been a traditional office park to a campus design that encourages walking, with green space throughout the park." But county staff suggested that the research park should have at least 50,000 square feet of space devoted to businesses that would keep Fontaine employees from having to get in their cars to conduct errands on lunch breaks.
"It’s kind of an isolated area," said Elaine Echols, county planner. "And it’s sort of hard to get to anywhere in the city walking from the research park. Obviously, that’s why it would be nice to have any amenities in the research park."
Some planning commissioners were concerned about whether 5,000 employees could support those new businesses, and Missel noted that many employees, like medical professors, work only part-time at Fontaine. But he said he’d take a look at it.
"I sympathize with you as far as the research area and office area," said Commissioner Calvin Morris. "But I’d also really like to see some conveniences on site. I think everyone would come out a winner if it works. I don’t know how you’re going to do it."
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