With the opening of Boar’s Nest Bar & Delicatessen in January (and another two restaurants that were expected to open in February), Old Dominion’s University Village is slowly but surely growing into its name.

The 75-acre development across Hampton Boulevard from the main campus, which got its start with the opening of the Ted Constant Convocation Center in fall 2002, now also boasts a number of student apartment units – 960 beds in all – a fitness center, campus police station and grand plans that call for the addition of a research/office facility, a hotel and parking garage, and a shopping center anchored by a national grocery store chain.

The restaurants, fitness center and public safety office occupy part of the 50,000 square feet of ground-level retail space on Monarch Way. The student apartments are on the upper floors.

This residential/retail development – a $55 million investment by the ODU Real Estate Foundation – is the first private investment in the University Village. When fully developed, investment in the Village is expected to exceed $260 million.

ODU alumnus Don Rockwell ’00 (M.A. ’02) and his business partners, Sean Killmon and Kevin Kern, hold the distinction of opening the first University Village retail establishment. Rockwell describes Boar’s Nest as “Old World delicatessen meets wine and martini bar.” The bar is constructed with 200-year-old French oak wine barrels, and the floors are imported Italian tile. Boar’s Nest is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Among its signature sandwiches is the “Monarch” (Genoa salami, Muenster cheese and hot Italian peppers served on rye bread with pub sauce).

Rockwell, who also co-owns Cobia Grill in Norfolk with Killmon and Kern, said of their new venture: “We understand the vision for the University Village and wanted to be a part of it. As an alumnus and Larchmont resident, I know a lot about Old Dominion, and this is a way I can give back to the community that gave so much to me.”

He added that Boar’s Nest is a place where members of the entire campus community, as well as residents of the Larchmont and West Ghent neighborhoods, can come for good food and drink – and to socialize. “This is a great place for students to come together and unwind, talk and have fun after the daily grind of classwork. This is what a university staple should be.”

Port City Java, a Wilmington, N.C.-based café and coffeehouse, and Perfectly Frank, an upscale hot dog emporium, were scheduled to open nearby in February, followed by Tropical Smoothie.

“We’ve been looking forward to the opening of The Shops at University Village for quite a while,” said Deborah K. Stearns ’80, chair of the ODU Real Estate Foundation board. “This represents the culmination of years of planning to establish a unique shopping and entertainment district that the entire region can enjoy.”

Renovation of ODU’s Technology Building, which is located within the University Village development area, is also under way. The five schools comprising the College of Health Sciences will be consolidated within the facility, and a new dental clinic is expected to open there next fall. The project also calls for renovation of the existing University Theatre, located in the front of the building. The entire project should be completed by the start of the spring 2006 semester.

A 600-700-space parking garage will be built on a portion of the surface lot located between the Technology Building and the Constant Center. It will serve both facilities as well as Village businesses and a proposed hotel to be built on the remaining section of the parking lot. The garage is scheduled for completion in January 2007.