Commuters will no longer have prime access to the main Lancaster Avenue entrance to Villanova University, as college officials plan to park 1,100 dorm suites atop the expansive parking lot there.

“We think this will create a great streetscape, and not a monolithic one,” Assistant Vice President for Government Relations and External Affairs Chris Kovolski said in a Philadelphia Magazine feature on the project.

Plans call for a Gothic-looking facade built to LEED standards with surrounding green spaces and street-level businesses, including a fitness center, mailing facility, bistro, convenience store, and Villanova-branded apparel outlet.

Villanova is even carving out a community park behind the new dorm and across the tracks of the Norristown High Speed Line.

The school plans to make up for the loss of parking by building a new garage across Ithan Avenue, and the future construction of a new performing arts center is also on the horizon.

Click here to read more about Villanova’s dorm project in Philadelphia Magazine.