Dartmouth is beginning a planning process that will guide future development north of the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center and Dewey parking lot, on the former golf course property.
The planning will look at long-term development options and the near-term need to construct undergraduate housing—potentially on the east side of Lyme Road where the varsity golf practice facility is located—and provide a new practice facility somewhere on the west side of Lyme Road.
The planning work builds on the recently completed Dartmouth strategic master planning framework, published this summer. (The framework, called “Planning for Possibilities,” (PDF) refers to the property as Lyme Road South, to differentiate it from a separate parcel farther north that includes the Dartmouth Organic Farm and Oak Hill, where Dartmouth has cross country ski trails.)
Land surveying and soil sampling will be conducted this fall to help determine whether Lyme Road South is an appropriate site on which to build. Members of the Dartmouth community and Lyme Road neighbors will have opportunities to share their thoughts on the project and proposed designs this winter.
“Increasing the stock of housing for undergraduates and supporting the varsity golf team are both high priorities for Dartmouth, as is being thoughtful about our neighbors and the preservation of established recreation areas,” says Josh Keniston, vice president of campus services and institutional projects. “Our goal is to develop a thoughtful approach for development in this area while also enabling us to move quickly on near-term priorities.”
In addition to undergraduate housing and a golf practice facility, the planning work will look at potential transit and infrastructure work that may be needed. The planning is being led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, the firm that worked with Dartmouth on the strategic master plan. An updated development plan for the area, based on the study’s findings, is expected to be ready in late winter or early spring 2022.
“This evaluation process is consistent with how Dartmouth does detailed planning work,” says Joanna Whitcomb, director of campus planning. “This was the approach we took in the West End and in the Arts District, both of which have seen development in recent years.”
Planning for future undergraduate housing comes as Dartmouth plans renovations to the Andres and Zimmerman undergraduate residence halls and the Brace Commons social space in the summer of 2022. Over the next 15 years, almost two-thirds of undergraduate residences are expected to be renovated and refreshed.
