LV Collective Sets Its Sights on Corvallis
A new land-use application reveals some clues...
A land use case showed up again on the City of Corvallis website this week. The 10th and Western Lot Consolidation. It’s something you may have heard about. The rumored student apartment complex.
The City’s August 17 public notice describes the application as a proposal to consolidate nine existing lots into a single property for future development.
Not a lot of people dig into land use application documents, but there are some chunks of information contained in these that are worth reporting on.
It identifies Austin, Texas-based LV Collective as the developer.
The consolidation is preparation for a new mixed-use development aimed at Oregon State University students. “The applicant intends to replace the existing structures on these properties with a purpose built mixed use project targeted toward housing students from the university.”
The nine properties sit along SW Western Boulevard and SW 10th Street, encompassing approximately 2.4 acres. The application seeks to combine them into a single development parcel. This is one of the early steps needed for the project to become a reality.
To be clear, there is no proposed number of apartments yet, parking spaces, building height, or construction timeline included with this particular application. Actual development plans, traffic impacts, circulation, landscaping, and other requirements will come back through the City’s development review process later.
Combining the properties removes the internal lot lines. The land consolidation is also tied directly to another pending land use case.
The properties currently have multiple zoning designations. A separate application, CPA-2026-05/ZDC-2026-05, seeks to place the entire consolidated property into the City’s RMU-20, Residential Mixed Use, zone.
The developer, LV Collective, is an Austin-based real estate development, investment, and management company that specializes in student housing and multifamily projects. The company has developed or acquired more than $6 billion in assets across several U.S. college-town markets.
Looking at its portfolio gives a perspective on what type of projects they develop. Although there is nothing in the City application that suggests the local project will be similar in size. But we can run some numbers on that based on past projects.
Near the University of Michigan, LV Collective is developing Rambler Ann Arbor, a 17-story student housing project containing 273 apartments and 1,009 beds.
(Photos: Rambler / Ann Arbor MI / University of Michigan / LV Collection)
Its completed Waterloo development near the University of Texas at Austin contains 241 units and 796 beds in a 30-story tower.
(Photo: Waterloo / Austin TX / University of Texas / LV Collection)
A College Park project near the University of Maryland contains 288 units and 1,003 beds, while the company’s portfolio also includes completed or developing student housing projects near universities in Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, and Texas.
LV Collective describes its student housing approach as hospitality-oriented, with projects frequently incorporating extensive study areas, fitness facilities, gathering spaces, and other amenities. So… not cheap.
Looking at some data for foresight, across the comparable student housing projects listed by LV Collective, the average design is 7.5 stories tall, with about 230 units.
Those numbers don’t tell us how large the proposed Corvallis project will be. It does, however, give considerably more context as to what the company might be planning.
The name listed as the applicant is David Dodson of Willamette Valley Planning LLC. Willamette Valley Planning actually helped with the CoHo Eco Village project in Southtown.
Dodson is not the developer. LV Collective is. Dodson is a Corvallis-based land-use planning consultant representing the project through the City’s application process. He also knows the local planning system particularly well.
According to his company biography, Dodson moved to Corvallis more than 30 years ago and previously worked in the City of Corvallis Planning Department, where his work included, you guessed it… processing land use applications. He also oversaw historic preservation and helped to update the Comprehensive Plan and Corvallis 2020 Vision Statement.
He later spent nine years as Oregon State University’s land use planning manager, overseeing planning during a period of substantial construction and capital expansion at the university. He subsequently founded Willamette Valley Planning, which prepares development and land-use applications for clients.
In this case, correspondence between the City and Dodson also includes LV Collective representatives, engineers, and, of course, the existing property owners.
The revised plan includes a 9.5-foot right-of-way dedication along SW Western Boulevard, along with 7-foot franchise utility easements along Western Boulevard, SW 10th Street, and SW 7th Street.
City engineering staff noted that Western Boulevard is classified as an arterial street. The City’s Transportation System Plan calls for a 79-foot right-of-way there, while the existing right-of-way is approximately 60 feet. The transportation plan also identifies a center turn lane for this segment of Western.
There are also some unusual infrastructure issues running underneath the site.
A 30-inch trunk sewer runs beneath the existing warehouse at 807 SW Western Boulevard. An 8-inch sewer line also runs beneath the building at 809 SW Western Boulevard before connecting to the larger trunk line.
(Photo: The Corvallis Inquirer)
City engineers specifically raised concerns about future buildings being located over those sewer lines. After a round of revisions, City staff determined the original submission was incomplete in June. Among the issues were the property’s multiple zoning designations, inconsistencies in the submitted exhibits, and missing or unclear information on the proposed plat.
The applicant responded on July 10, paid the outstanding $5,341 application fee, revised the exhibits, incorporated the Western Boulevard right-of-way dedication, and updated the application narrative.
The application has now progressed to public notice.
The City mailed and distributed the notice on August 17. Written testimony can be submitted to the Planning Division by 5 p.m. on August 31. The Planning Division Manager is expected to approve, conditionally approve, or deny the tentative lot consolidation on or around that same date.
Approval would not amount to approval of the development itself.
It would, however, move nine properties at 10th and Western another step closer to becoming a single development site for what the applicant already says is coming next.
This will be a majorly divided issue in the community in the near future.
Do we need more housing? Yes. Is this luxury-style living the type of affordable housing we need? No. Will there be a demand for it? Most likely. Will it cause traffic and parking issues? Maybe. Will its proximity to downtown be good for business? Yes.
Will it get approved? We think so.
Sometimes you have to take what you can get, even if it’s not what you think you need.
(Photo: Rambler / Columbus OH / Ohio State University / LV Collection)
This article was written by Derek S., a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
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