In order to build structures such as the recently-completed McLaughlin Cluster or the proposed North of Maynard Dining Hall, the College must obtain a "special exception" permit from the Hanover Zoning Board of Adjustment in a lengthy process that includes an abundance of input from the Town of Hanover and its residents.
When a new project is proposed, pre-developmental meetings are first held with Town of Hanover residents who abut, or live adjacent to the proposed project location, and then with those residents and representatives of the College.
Two community meetings about the Dining Hall project, led by Director of Community Relations Sandra Hoeh, have been met with substantial resident feedback.
Dartmouth's Director of Planning and Design Stephen Campbell said he believes that the process works well because it allows input from all parties throughout the process.
"Community members who abut a particular project have the ability to review it in detail and provide responses [to the proposal] which in fact very often changes the nature of our project for the better," Campbell said.
North Maynard Dining Hall, also known as the Class of 1953 Commons Dining Hall, has also begun to raise issues amongst Hanover residents, Campbell said. This dining hall will be located on the North Maynard lot north of Baker-Berry Library.
"The way the process is setup, there is always the opportunity for objections. They can come forth naturally as part of the process," Campbell said.
Residents are concerned with the disturbances that result from the construction including odors and noise from delivery trucks and construction itself, Campbell said. Previous resident and alumni concerns led to the reduction in seating capacity of North Maynard Dining Hall from 600 seats to 250 seats.
"My concern as an abutter, I really don't care," Timothy Dreisbach '71 said. "As an alumnus I get concerned that the College gets so big that it loses it sense of community. As students, the only thing you do in common is eat."
Construction on the replacement building for Thayer Dining Hall is charted to begin construction in the next decade. The replacement will be built in almost the exact same location as the original building, Campbell said.
The College has yet to take its plans for North Maynard Dining Hall to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for approval. If this plan does not ultimately move forward because the College decides not to pursue it or the Zoning Board does not approve it, then Dartmouth plans to expand existing dining halls such as the Courtyard Cafe and Collis Cafe. Whether or not North Maynard is constructed, Thayer Dining Hall will continue to be the center of on-campus dining.
Dartmouth's Community Relations Director Sandra Hoeh aims to keep the community abreast with regards to Dartmouth's Master Plan regarding projects in their particular areas within Hanover.
Hoeh keeps in frequent contact with neighbors through e-mail and informs them ahead of time of events affecting their areas. At the start of Fall term, Hoeh notified residents living near McLaughlin about student move-in dates. She also notified residents near the BEMA about Fieldstock events before they took place this past summer.
Initially the planning process for McLaughlin was met with delays due to out-of-town designers' unfamiliarity with New Hampshire's adherence to the entire National Fire Protection Association standard of codes.
"Dartmouth works with a lot of very famous designers whose primary place of practice is not here," said Jeff Andrews, assistant building inspector for the Town of Hanover.
He said that when the Town found issues with aspects of the construction of the new buildings, instead of halting the project entirely, it asked the College to temporarily desist from working on the conflicting section of the construction.
"We try not to have an aggressive relationship," Andrews said. "But at the end of the day our goal is to build a safe building."
Town Manager Julia Griffin said that residents showed a lot of concern during the initial introduction to the proposal for McLaughlin's construction. McLaughlin was originally planned to contain 700 beds that house many students near private homes and would possibly disturb the character of the area. The cluster now currently contains 342 beds.
According to Rope Ferry Road resident Sharon Nordgren, the concern of the neighborhood was most fervent when the plan called for the residence halls to be placed on Rope Ferry Road instead of its current College Street location, sparking some neighbors to file lawsuits.
"I think the College has worked very hard in outreach and trying to get people involved," Dreisbach said.
What the town wants usually factors into the College's plans during the process of negotiations, Griffin said.
"It is a constantly evolving picture, it involves a lot of regular dialogue," she said.
Campbell said that there is a very open and honest dialogue with the community before any Dartmouth project.
"We don't ignore community concerns; in fact we embrace them try to make a better project," Campbell said.
