The University administration announced during the Planning 202 forum on Nov. 19 that the Northeast Triangle construction is set to begin in early summer 2014, increasing the number of beds on campus by 225, pending further approval.
The construction of the new dorm comes in response to the 2012 Campus Plan agreement, in which the University committed to add a total of 385 beds by fall 2015. An additional 160 beds are planned to come from the Ryan and Mulledy halls.
While administrators have not said whether they will need an extension on the agreement in order to fulfill these requirements, Vice President of Planning & Facilities Management Robin Morey said during the forum that “it’s a challenge, but we are going to get there. We have to look at and weigh the choices of speeding up construction just to meet the deadline.”
In addition, after almost seven months of campus planning, administrators released the results of the “My Campus” survey that was conducted in early 2013 at the forum. The purpose of the survey was to gauge how students and faculty use campus space. Researchers then used the data to influence progress in the master planning process.
The survey generated 2,766 responses, approximately 40 percent of which came from undergraduate students. The remaining 60 percent came from the responses of graduate students, faculty, and frequent visitors. The main issues highlighted by the survey were pedestrian and biker safety around campus.
According to administrators, the following campus plan will focus on improving sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. In addition, future architectural designs will focus on maintaining the openness of the campus. Morey said the data implied that students prefer to maintain open, grassy quad centers of social activity.
The University plans to meet with the zoning commission on Nov. 25 and hold an OGB concept hearing on Dec. 5 to finalize several aspects of the campus plan, specifically designs for the Northeast Triangle. “We fully expect our first concept hearing to be rejected. That’s just how these go, but it won’t set us back on progress,” Morey said.
