With a new special use permit in hand, the first iteration of Virginia Tech’s planned campus in Potomac Yard is one step closer to reality.

The plans were approved as part of the consent calendar at the Sept. 14 Alexandria City Council meeting.

The school will initially be located in the former Dressbarn and Rack Room Shoes spaces and, according to a staff report, will have an enrollment of up to 400 students with a maximum of 55 employees. Those students will be spread out with roughly 25 students per class, and no more than 100 students on-site at any given time.

“This preliminary phase of the Virginia Tech campus would feature four classrooms, including research laboratories, and a marketing center which would provide information on academic offerings and updates on Virginia Tech’s expansion plans in Alexandria,” the report said.

Conditions of that approval include a requirement that all employees who drive to the campus use off-street parking, as well as a pledge to encourage employees to use public transit.

The proposal is the first stage of Tech’s planned Innovation Campus, which is projected to have 750 master’s degree students when the project is completed in ten years. The permanent campus will be located to the north of the current Regal movie theater.

Image (top) via JBG Smith, (bottom) courtesy Virginia Tech