"Just the sheer size of it," he said of the $200 million-plus project, which would transform two parking lots on Lancaster Avenue into a lively part of campus, home to 1,160 students.
The campus silhouette would be a little different, too. Instead of the chapel spires, Vandergeest would have a view of a concrete garage.
In his Old Oaks neighborhood, the streets are narrow, the neighbors friendly, and those autumn football games are only an occasional pain when cars zoom past to avoid traffic jams on Lancaster Avenue.
With all those new students, the pain could linger all year, he fears.
The university says it needs to create more housing for students who now live off-campus in surrounding communities. Currently, the university guarantees beds for 4,400 freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, with about 2,000 students living elsewhere.
According to Villanova, the three- to five-year project will offer on-campus housing for approximately 85 percent of undergraduates, enhancing campus life, decreasing traffic to and from campus, and significantly reducing student and vehicle presence in Radnor Township neighborhoods.
"No one has shown us what the benefit to the community will be," countered Jonathan Heckscher, who lives on Aldwyn Lane and who spoke this week at a meeting in which Villanova presented its plans to the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners. "It does everything, directly or indirectly, to harm the residents."
Ken Valosky, vice-president for administration and finance, said in a statement that the school appreciated the input from residents and the commissioners and looked forward to continued dialogue. The matter is scheduled to go before the township Planning Commission next month.
Several residents who spoke at the meeting reminded commissioners that Villanova has not always been a good neighbor. They cited the glaring lights of the football stadium.
