Lot 26, the new commuter parking lot by the Forestry Building, has become a hot-button topic for many students, especially for those who used to park near the Rozsa, or people concerned about the loss of green space. In the opinion of the author, these complaints are blown out of proportion.
The distance between this lot and the main area of campus is about equivalent to the other side of the Rozsa. While the hill does make the walk more taxing, it isn’t that long of a walk. As for the loss of the trees and greenspace there, this complaint seems like people trying to find something to be mad about. How many people spent time in those woods? Despite the Forestry Building being adjacent to the area, no outdoor labs utilized that area, instead using the Tech Trails, which are much further away.
Also, contrary to popular belief, the project did consult the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science faculty. As one faculty member said, “I was asked to walk through there but didn’t do an official tally [of trees]”. They went on to say, “They probably didn’t want to ship out only a truck or so,” as the amount of trees wasn’t anywhere near merchantable. The trees on the site were chipped and sent out, likely to be used for biomass energy generation.
This issue is ultimately not about the lot itself, but rather about the growth of the college. The campus master development plan proposes new dorms, buildings, and parking areas across campus. Eventually, other parking lots will be built, other woods will be paved over for parking, and more students will come in. The campus will change, and current students are just living through the change. In the wake of recent construction, it’s hard to appreciate how the campus looks, but overall, many past changes have been great improvements. From the recent project of the H-STEM to the Dow and Wads expansions, the campus has been on an upward trajectory. As a former student, now a faculty member said, “I’ve never seen campus look better.”
