.jpg)
An ambitious proposal to develop a residential school for skilled trades on a large tract of land in Buena Vista was brought before City Council this past Thursday.
Austin Rehl is planning the Rockbridge Creative Institute, which would be a residential school for learning traditional and modern building trades, sustainable agriculture methods and homesteading arts and crafts. The campus is to be developed on 285 acres of steeply sloped woods and meadows between Long Hollow Road and 32nd Street.
Rehl is seeking to have all 285 acres rezoned to institutional. Currently, 204 acres are zoned residential planned unit development (R-6) and 81 acres are zoned general manufacturing (GM). Council held a first reading on the rezoning request Thursday.
The objective of the school, Rehl told Council, would be to give students “real work experience learning to work with their hands to produce useful, durable and beautiful things.” The nonprofit institution “will recruit young people from around the nation to Buena Vista and prepare them to be successful business owners and dependable laborers for our community.”
A large single family home is already under construction on the land. The “Meridian House,” as he calls it, is to be a private residence for Rehl and his family but will also be housing students at the school. He plans to have students there this fall who will be helping develop, under the guidance of professionals, a layout for a campus master plan that will include cottages for additional student housing.
Rehl is a dentist from Marietta, Ohio, who has a practice with four locations that employs a dozen dentists. He started a dental assisting school and a K-12 classical education school that, he said, have been successful endeavors over the past decade.
The skilled trades school he’s starting in Buena Vista would be primarily for collegeage students, though future plans could include summer camps for children and weekend courses for adults. “Areas of emphasis will be added based on market demand,” he said.
Tom Roberts, Buena Vista’s director of community development, said the institutional zone would cover the school’s broad range of uses that will be developed over time. The comprehensive plan envisioned mixed uses for this property, he said, noting that the steep terrain would have made it difficult for industrial purposes.
A comprehensive storm water management plan will be required to account for all land disturbance, said Roberts. A new private road is being built that will connect the campus to 32nd Street. Utility work to connect the development to the city’s water and sewer systems
Though the Rockbridge Creative Institute is a nonprofit organization, the land is owned by an LLC and is fully taxable. Rehl said he has no plans at this time to apply for exemption from the real estate tax. Under a previous owner, said Roberts, the property was in land use so was taxed at a much lower rate.
At a public hearing on the proposed rezoning, Ronald Cash said he found the plans “commendable” but said improvements need to be made to 32nd Street to accommodate increased traffic. Stormwater drainage improvements must be done correctly, he said.
Lew Hamilton, whose construction business has been used by Rehl, said Rehl has already “injected a pile of money into the community,” with the construction of the house and the infrastructure improvements.
Coretta Thurman questioned how the school would benefit citizens of Buena Vista if the students are coming from outside the area. Bryce Adams praised the plans, saying the school would be good for the economy and would provide skilled employees for the local work force.
City Council held its first reading on the proposed rezoning.
