University creep is a hot topic in Lexington, as residents and business owners have become increasingly worried about the loss of parking and retail space available for customers and new businesses.
“If we lose retail space, what are people going to do when they come and visit?” said Paige Williams, owner of Downtown Books.
University creep refers to higher education institutions expanding beyond their original boundaries.
Lexington residents’ fear of university creep reignited at the start of the academic year. According to previous reporting by the Phi, in October 2024, Lexington City Council approved a conditional use permit for John Adamson to rent office space in the Rockbridge Building on South Main Street to Washington and Lee University.
Another conditional use permit was considered at a city council public hearing on March 20, this time for the Grand Building located directly beside the Rockbridge Building.
According to the conditional use permits from both the Rockbridge Building and the Grand Building, John Adamson’s company owns both of these properties. Washington and Lee University would be renting from him, but they would not directly own the buildings.
As outlined in the Code of the City of Lexington, a conditional use permit is authorized in cases in which property is being used for unusual purposes that differ from its surroundings. In order to receive a conditional use permit, the applicant must go through a hearing before city council votes on its authorization.
One concern among residents is the duration of the permit. “What is temporary?” said Williams. “Is it five years? Ten years? That is the question I would ask.”
According to the Lexington city code, a permit only expires if the building is not used for its intended purpose for a period of at least twenty-four months.
The code does not mention the actual lifetime of a permit. On the conditional use permit application submitted by the Grand Building’s owner, John Adamson, there is no line to fill out the requested duration of the permit. The permit is available to the public on the City of Lexington’s website.
David Jimenez, owner of Chelsea Collections, said that while university creep does not directly affect his business, it still has important ramifications for Lexington. “You come to Lexington and it is all about the historic downtown . . . The modern design is killing the downtown look, but they allow it because it brings in money.”
The university originally intended to expand even farther into Lexington by building its Institutional History Museum on Lee Avenue with a parking garage below it. But the city council denied this request “due to a lack of sufficient detail,” according to the action letter available on the city’s website.
The university has since changed the location of the Institutional History Museum to be within campus boundaries, as seen on the Institutional History Museum website.
The conditional use permit for the Grand Building would keep the retail space open and would convert the basement and upper levels into office space for the university. But concerns have ignited among Main Street businesses over the potential strain on parking as additional workers need spots downtown.
“It is an ongoing problem,” said Ellie Bunten, manager of Walkabout Outfitter, when asked about the parking situation in Lexington. “Lexington has started enforcing parking more, which has helped.”
Currently, permits for long-term access to parking lots and street spots are available for purchase from the police department. A permit to park in a lot ranges from $160 to $400 a year, while street permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis for a flat rate of $160 a year.
Jimenez said that it “seems like Washington and Lee is the main one” when asked about which of the local universities is more associated with university creep.“VMI does not have anything other than VMI,” he said.
According to Lexington’s current comprehensive plan, because the Virginia Military Institute is a branch of the state government, it is not subject to local zoning authorities. It has its own land use and planning process.
The Washington and Lee University Master Plan, released in March 2022, briefly mentions other plans for expansion. Specifically, it introduces streetscape and landscape features to establish a new gateway at the intersection of Washington Street and Lee Avenue where a new Admission and Financial Center and Institutional History Museum are proposed, according to the Campus Master Plan on the university’s website.
According to the Master Plan, the university also prioritizes pedestrian connectivity, linking the campus to downtown Lexington via crosswalks, recreational trails and bicycle routes.
The University Master Plan and Lexington Comprehensive Plan most align in the area of pedestrian connectivity. According to its comprehensive plan, the city wants to create walking trails to connect historic sites, including Lexington’s two universities.
