| New dorm issues handled well by all |
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Posted: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 11:59 pm
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In the matter of Carleton College’s newest residence hall, everybody wins.
The school has plans to construct housing for 230 students by the fall of next year, allowing 115 students to return to campus from rental housing in the neighborhood.
That in itself is a positive step for Carleton, neighbors and students.
The construction will require the college to reconfigure some of its parking lots, including one near the intersection of First Street and Nevada. According to city policies, which require one parking space per employee per shift and one space per student vehicle, Carleton would have needed to add 15 more spaces than it has now.
Those 15 spaces, however, necessitated the removal of several mature and picturesque trees along First Street. That move concerned neighbors and the Northfield East Side Neighborhood Association.
Here’s where the wonder comes in: Instead of pointing fingers and arguing, the two groups communicated. And then they cooperated.
Through compromise, the school and the neighbors agreed on only adding three parking spaces more than there are now. That move should save four of the trees while not placing an extra burden on parking.
“We appreciate and accept the neighborhood’s agreement that the reduction is worth the trade-off of a continued heavy on-street parking load during business weekdays,” said Carleton’s director of facilities.
“More trees and lawn will be saved, a premium value of the neighborhood,” the neighborhood association wrote to the planning commission.
By giving a little, each group got something they wanted in return and the lines of communication remain open between two entities that haven’t always been the best of friends in the past.
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