Of the many issues NCC students and faculty face, one of the most visible is parking on campus. Commuter students are concerned about the lack of parking availability near academic buildings; resident students are outraged at the lack of resident spots near residence halls. After countless surveys, NCC has announced plans to build a new parking structure.
Expectations
The Office of Marketing and Communications held four public forums on Thursday, Oct. 20, giving an opportunity for both the campus community and neighbors to hear the plans for the new structure. The new parking pavilion is planned to replace the current parking garage on the corner of Brainard and Highland streets. The Office of Communications said that the new pavilion will meet current demand for parking on campus. Equally important, campus safety has registered the following parking passes for the 2022-2023 academic year:
- 536 Residential (Including Remote Lot)
- 552 Commuter
- 360 Faculty and Staff
With a total number of 1,448 registered parking permits, historically there has not been enough parking spaces to support demand. In addition to this, a number of students also never register with the school and take advantage of city parking. The new structure would increase the total number of spots available on campus.
Image is everything
North Central is located within a historic neighborhood. This naturally gave residents concerns about how the structure would look. However, careful thought was put into the design of the building to help curb this hesitation. Additionally, architects want to design the building in a way that it blends in with the rest of the south side of campus. Presenters shared graphic renderings of the planned structure:
Construction timeline
Builders hope to begin construction in Spring 2023. Architects plan to complete most of the construction occurring over the following summer, with an anticipated opening in December 2023.
