Smile commuters; more parking on the way!
Parking is a hot-button issue for much of the campus community, the collective groan of many commuters echoing throughout campus over the past several semesters. The 2012-2013 academic year should be different, however, as several new parking lots and more than 1,500 new spaces will be made available.
Four additional parking lots will be added by the Spring 2013 semester:
* This summer’s completion of the Student Convocation and Recreation Center will add 124 spaces to the campus. This lot will be available for Fall 2012.
* 279 new spots will be available in the recently completed lot adjacent to U.S. 501 (behind Baxley Hall). This lot, available for Fall 2012, features a new deceleration lane on the highway with a direct entrance to the lot from 501.
* A new parking lot along University Boulevard (between Lackey Chapel and Student Health Services) will add 533 new spaces. This lot will be available for the Spring 2013 semester.
* A new lot on U.S. 544, south of the main campus by University Place, will add more than 600 new spaces. The lot should be made available during the Spring 2013 semester.
For additional convenience, plans are in place to have shuttle service for the additional lots so commuters will not have to make any long treks.
“The preliminary plan is to have the shuttle route include a stop within the Highway 544 parking lot once it’s completed,” said Dean Hudson, director of procurement and business services. “Ways to include the Lackey and 501 lots on the route are under consideration.”
On top of these new additions, the lot between Kearns Hall and Wheelwright Auditorium will be available again this summer, once construction for the Bryan Information Commons is complete.
These new additions will compensate for the lots that will be transformed into campus green spaces. The “greening” of Blanton Circle (as it becomes Blanton Park) will remove 81 spaces. Also, the lot adjacent to the Edward M. Singleton building will convert into a faculty/staff-only lot, impacting 84 student spaces.
Commuters will see the removal of most student lots within the confines of Chanticleer Drive in accordance with the University’s Campus Master Plan. The plan promotes pedestrian traffic within the campus, moving student parking on the perimeter.
“The Master Plan accomplishes three things,” said Sandra Williams, director for facilities planning and management. “It frees sites for future academic buildings; improves the pedestrian environment, including bicycle movement; and enhances the aesthetics of the main campus.”
So next year when you arrive on campus, don’t fret about finding a spot; there should be more than enough to meet the CCU community’s needs. Just make sure you leave a few minutes early to catch the shuttle or to enjoy a nice stroll around Coastal Carolina University’s growing and “greening” campus.
