Town Objects to Boudah's Plan for CFA, Porter Lots

Author: Anne Jennings

On March 6, Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah presented her new parking plan to the town's Planning Commission. This plan includes expansion of the Center for the Arts (CFA) parking lot and a new lot between Porter Hospital and the baseball fields.

Residents raised concern about potential traffic and lighting disturbances at the new lots. In addition, homeowners behind South Street, where the planned lot will be constructed, "raised significant concern about speeding cars," said Middlebury Town Planner Fred Dunnington. "The road is very wide and straight, and there is a tendency to speed." According to Dunnington, traffic controls will most likely be placed to control this potential problem.

Residents also expressed misgivings about increased traffic at the new four-way intersection at the entrance of the proposed CFA lot expansion, with Route 30 and Stewart Hill Road. This intersection is a component of the College's long-term plan to connect Route 125 to Route 30 with a circular course.

"Construction of that new road would involve cutting down some of the oak and spruce trees at that location, or damaging their roots," Dunnington cited another local concern. "They are trying to wind the road somewhat around the trees, but construction will actually cut through some of the roots."

Solutions to these concerns are currently being worked on, and there will be a second hearing on March 20. Possible solutions if the plan is not approved, said Dunnington, include an alternative parking lot to be built on Route 125. Detailed plans for that lot are not yet available, but according to Dunnington, the construction of that lot has been included in current planning anyway.

"Everyone agreed that there was a definite need for more parking," said Dunnington, but the question was where this need would be accommodated.

The College needs additional parking due to plans for a growing student body and the necessary replacement for the spaces that will be lost during construction of Atwater Commons and the new library.

Bouhah's plan listed a total of 1966 available parking spaces on campus as of September 2001: 1006 for students, 960 for faculty and staff (within the 5-7 minute walking distance) and 175 for visitors (60 at Kirk Alumni Center, 10 at Hadley, 25 at Emma Willard and 80 at Kenyon Arena). There are 971 vehicles currently registered, of the 2328 students enrolled in fall 2001. The plan anticipates student vehicle registration to reach 1100 by the end of the year. Of 1399 employees on the College's active list, all have at least one registered vehicle. Furthermore, Boudah highlighted the need for "convenient parking" at the CFA, athletic facilities and auditoriums to accommodate numerous guests on a weekly basis.

Because of the limited number of spaces, visitor parking is restrained. "Some signs on campus still read, 'faculty, staff and visitor parking,'" commented Boudah. These plots, she explained, are used by faculty and staff because of the parking jam, thus less are left for visitors. Student parking at Kenyon Arena and the CFA also pose a problem because these areas in particular draw visitors during College events.

"If we fill up these spaces with faculty and student [vehicles], essentially we are saying we have no visitor parking," continued Boudha.

The parking problem can get worse as construction begins. Not only will some parking spaces become unavailable, but also the College will be housing more students in the new facilities.

Aside from these circumstances, "the plan for more parking was well received overall," said Dunnington. He commented that although the entire plan was not approved at the first hearing, there is no implication that parking will not be expanded. The parking plan awaits revision and approval from the community.