Hanover residents have approved a proposal by the College to ease local zoning restrictions, paving the way for Dartmouth to build a new faculty and staff housing development.
The zoning proposal, approved by an overwhelming 629-197 margin at Hanover's annual town meeting last week, will affect the land east of Grass Road, situated east of campus.
The College plans to build single and two-family homes on the land, which it will sell to Dartmouth employees. The Dartmouth Real Estate Office has not yet begun planning the buildings, but the new zoning class will allow them to squeeze more houses into the space.
The project is designed to provide an affordable housing option to junior employees for whom Hanover real estate is often unattainable. The College's real estate office will begin the process of planning, designing and permitting the project in June. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin next spring, according to Timothy McNamara, the development's project manager.
The College has already built roughly 60 units over the past 10 years on Grass Road through its Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects. With the average starter house in Hanover selling for about $300,000, there is a significant demand from employees for additional low-cost housing according to McNamara. The College plans to sell the housing units, located two miles from campus, at or below market prices for comparable housing.
"Junior members of the staff have a difficult time finding affordable housing. The market has been tight and has shown no sign of changing," McNamara said.
The College offers rental housing, scattered throughout Hanover, to incoming faculty. However, the housing differs significantly in quality and once a faculty member is assigned housing it is near impossible to switch locations according to Ioana Chitoran, a French and Italian professor.
Chitoran arrived on campus in 1997 and lived in faculty rental housing until 1998. When construction began near her home, she decided to move. She was able to buy a one-bedroom condominium, but said that prices have more than doubled since then.
"There are few places to rent. If they're in good shape they're too expensive. If they're affordable they're dumps," she said.
In receiving the more flexible zoning class for the land east of Grass Road, the College also designated a lot west of the road as a nature preserve. By crowding more houses to the east of the road and preserving land to the west, the College hopes to be more environmentally friendly, according to McNamara.