Just two months after its plans to redevelop its Sachem properties were rejected by the Lebanon zoning board, the College has formulated a revised scheme.
On Oct. 10, the College presented a conceptual review of the new plan to the city's planning board in a meeting lasting a total of 25 minutes. The unofficial critique of the plan was intended to provide the College with feedback about their idea, Lebanon Coding Enforcement Director Carmela Hennessy said.
Sachem Village, built as graduate housing between 1957 and 1967, is on one of many large College-owned parcels of land along Route 10 south of Hanover. McNamara estimated that around 300 students and their children currently live there.
According to the current plan, the College would increase the number of graduate housing units in Sachem Village to about 208 from the 131 existing structures. While homes would be demolished as part of the construction, around 130 new buildings would be built, providing space for between 400 and 450 residents.
In addition, the College would rebuild the rugby field and construct a rugby clubhouse, with locker rooms, meeting areas and social spaces. The rugby team may use the new facility for alumni events, particularly fundraising, though no such plans are confirmed.
The new rugby facility "has been a legend since I was a freshman," Men's Rugby Captain Matt Sullivan '02 said.
"First and foremost, it would be for preparation for games. It would also be an area to get together after the games for both teams," Sullivan said.
"The rugby clubhouse is part of the plan," Real Estate Office project manager Timothy McNamara said.
The clubhouse is a necessary part of the development scheme, a "planned unit recreational development."
A PURD is a complex that includes both residential and recreational facilities, with the emphasis placed on the recreational aspects. Such developments are designed to maximize the open space of new growth and "do not require a special [zoning] exception," Hennessy said.
McNamara estimated that the total cost of the project would be $19 million, funded by the College. It is unknown whether outside financing will be used to fund the construction.
Several components contribute to the price tag beyond construction expenses, including sewer and water lines, electrical and cable television wiring and new roads.
The cost of the rugby construction is not known yet.
The College's plan had "quite a bit of support from the planning board," McNamara said.
Although no plans for faculty housing in the development exist, McNamara did not want to rule out the possibility.
The College submitted its previous plan for housing development to the planning board in March. A separate request for a zoning exception for the new rugby clubhouse was tendered at almost the same time.
"At the time, this was envisioned as two separate projects," McNamara said.
The zoning board turned down the clubhouse plan in early August because it met only seven of the nine requirements needed for an exception. The board found that the social spaces of the proposed clubhouse were not an integral part of the building and thus rejected the proposal.
"That zoning restriction no longer applies" since the new development plan does not require that current regulations be met, McNamara said.
The new approval procedure, though not involving the zoning board or the city council, "does not really go around the zoning board" because the "planned unit recreational development does not need a special exception," Hennessy said.
"We need to submit to the city of Lebanon planning board for a conditional use permit and a site plan approval," McNamara said. Construction can begin only if those permits are obtained.
