The 125,000-square-foot Berry Library project received unanimous plan approval from the Hanover Planning Board on Tuesday night.
The $60 million project, which has been in the works since 1992 when John and George Berry and George Baker gave $35 million in gifts, took just two board meetings -- a matter of hours -- to gain approval.
The plan for the Roth Center for Jewish Life took eight board meetings and a year of heated debate before it was approved in 1995, according Hanover Planning and Zoning Coordinator Susan Beliveau.
Beliveau said the board is also still reviewing the proposed improvements of Chase Field, including replacing the field used for lacrosse and field hockey with artificial turf as well as the construction of indoor tennis courts and an amenities pavilion adjacent to Thompson Arena.
This project was initially proposed on Dec. 2 and has appeared at least five times in front of the Board with continued proposals. A decision has yet to be made.
"The College is very rarely denied, though some approvals take much longer than others," Beliveau said. "In recent past, the only occasions of a lengthy approval for Dartmouth construction has been over Chase Field and the Center for Jewish Life."
The Berry construction proposal was initially made at the Feb. 3 board meeting in a two-hour presentation made by the Berry Library Building Committee, followed by minimal questions from the board and members of the public in attendance.
The board then needed to complete its standard site visit before granting approval, which caused the decision to be delayed until the March 3 meeting.
Beliveau said only one meeting would have been necessary, but the building committee's lengthy presentation created serious time constraints and necessitated a second meeting.
"The easiest part of the entire Berry Library Project was obtaining town approval," she said.
The board has made several exceptions for the Berry Library project. Beliveau said the College will have four-and-a-half years to complete construction, exceeding the limit of three years usually enforced by town regulations.
The board is also allowing 20-foot light poles to be constructed, while poles are generally limited to a height of 15 feet in Hanover.
While the Berry Library will be constructed on College property behind Baker Library, Hanover town regulations require approval for construction to officially commence.
"For any property development of non-residential or multi-family buildings, a plan review and on-site visit is necessary," Beliveau said. "The entire town of Hanover adheres to these regulations."
As soon as any expansions or changes of facility use are involved in construction plans, a proposal to the Hanover Planning Board and its subsequent approval is necessary, she said.
While construction workers began building tests, including small temporary walls and the examination of building materials to ensure the matching of Berry's bricks to those of Baker Library, the commencement of actual construction was awaiting Board approval.
"Before approval was given, the College hadn't done anything requiring a building permit, so Hanover regulations were not violated," Beliveau said.
Berry Library construction is set to begin on March 16, with an official groundbreaking ceremony taking place on May 5. The target date for completion of the library is December 2001.
