October 6, 2005

New lot will add almost 200 parking spaces

Construction is slated to begin within a month on a new parking lot for students, faculty and staff located just east of the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion/Combe Tennis Center. The new lot will provide almost 200 new parking spaces, said Ronald Nayler, associate vice president for facilities management.

The new lot is expected to be completed in early 2006, Nayler said. It will replace two temporary gravel parking lots that have been used by contractors for the past two years.

“Given our anticipated parking needs over the next few years, this will provide additional parking for use by the university community, rather than just for contractors,” Nayler said.

“We’ll create a landscape buffer between the new lot and the beach so you won’t see the lot from the beach, but because of the elevation, you’ll be able to see the lake from the lot,” Nayler said.

There also will be additional landscaping between the new lot and the existing parking near the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex. The lot will not extend as far east as the site of the former university observatory that was demolished approximately 10 years ago, Nayler said.

The lot will provide a total of 252 spaces. There will be 190 new spaces and 62 existing spaces that will be reconfigured as part of the construction of the new lot.