In February of this year, Dartmouth shared with the community its decision to slow the planning process for apartment-style undergraduate housing north of campus on Lyme Road while planners considered feedback and consulted further with campus and local stakeholders. Since then, campus planners and senior leaders have considered a broader array of factors beyond Dartmouth’s urgent need for more beds as they determine how to alleviate Dartmouth’s housing shortage.

“We received important feedback, in particular from faculty members, which prompted us to consider the challenge from additional perspectives,” says Executive Vice President Rick Mills. “Taking a more comprehensive view of the long-term strategic value of any development as it fits into the academic and cultural life of our community is the right thing to do.”

Mills says he anticipates that planners will be ready to share a revised housing concept in June. He added that they look forward to continuing the discussion with the Dartmouth community and neighbors as planning continues on how to meet Dartmouth’s critical need for undergraduate housing.

Dartmouth officials have had conversations with faculty, staff, students, and the broader community, says Josh Keniston, vice president of campus services and institutional projects.

“Further reflection and additional engagement have underscored that we need to emphasize our guiding principles for any residential development as we strive to provide the type of housing students indicate they want,” says Keniston. “We are firmly committed to preserving the tight-knit community that Dartmouth’s distinctive residential culture promotes with access to academic resources and the natural environment. Moreover, we will do a better job connecting how we are addressing our housing shortage to Dartmouth’s strategic campus framework, Planning for Possibilities.”

See Planning for Possibilities (PDF).