The College's plan for the North Maynard Street dormitories has been unanimously approved by the Hanover Zoning Board of Adjustments, contingent on Dartmouth satisfying a set of nine criteria. If Dartmouth is able to meet these criteria, the proposed dormitories will provide a badly-needed addition of 343 beds to the on-campus dormitory capacity.
The nine conditions are intended to alleviate concerns raised by both the board and local residents, according to the zoning board. To assuage worries among residents that additional pedestrian traffic would make Maynard Street impassable for cars, the zoning board is requiring the College to prove that traffic generated by the dormitories will not adversely affect local roads and sidewalks.
Among other requirements, the board's approval obligates the College to expand the current Dewey Field parking lot to compensate for parking spots lost in the construction.
The College can satisfy most of the nine conditions by obtaining a certificate from an expert, such a sound engineer, confirming that its plan meets the criteria for a special exception to Dartmouth's institutional zoning.
"Conditions with an approval are generally customary, and I do not expect any delay or significant additional cost. This project still needs to go to the Planning Board for approval, which is scheduled to happen in several months," said Reed Bergwell, director of Facilities Planning.
While the zoning board either accepts or rejects a request for a special exception, the College will be able to negotiate with the town administrators whose approval is required in the conditions stipulated by the board.
"At this point, we have not completed the final two stages of design. As a result, I believe that we can meet the conditions during the completion of design so the schedule would not be impacted," Martin Redman, the dean of residential life, told The Dartmouth.
In the next 26 days, either Dartmouth or local residents can appeal the zoning board's decision. If the board accepts the appeal, it will hold another hearing. If the appellant is again rejected or the appeal denied, the case can be appealed to court.
In related news, the Kresge Foundation awarded the College a $1 million grant to support the construction of Kemeny Hall, which will house the mathematics department. The building is named after former Dartmouth President John G. Kemeny, who developed the BASIC computing language with Thomas Kurtz.
