Master Plan lays out change

Planners at Rose-Hulman are currently laying out a master plan for Rose-Hulman’s campus. This plan will include the demolition and addition of many buildings and a plan for new traffic patterns on campus. This new master plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the end of the month.

A master plan, or comprehensive plan, is a tool used by land-use planners and engineers to describe a set of future goals. These plans are implemented in areas as large as the City of New York or as small as the campus at Rose-Hulman. Typically, groups such as municipalities or college campuses develop these plans to accommodate future growth. Planners estimate how the predicted growth will affect aspects of the built environment including current land use and transportation.

Planners at Rose-Hulman developed a master plan in 2002. This plan shows many changes to campus including new academic buildings, a parking garage, new residence halls, and a group of fraternity housing to be built in the wooded area just east of Skinner. This plan includes the demolition of both BSB and Speed residence halls.

Planners are developing a new master plan that includes many more changes. A preliminary plan was presented in November. This plan included the addition of nearly 20 new buildings or building additions and a significantly different traffic flow on campus. The new layout has been developed such in a way that much of the angularity found in the current layout is discarded and the campus is given a more fluid shape. Nick Corkill, a junior civil engineering major stated, “It is a rather vast encompassing project that appears to increase the footprint of Rose by about 25%. The question may be will these new facilities be able to be used and fill successfully by an increased student body of the same caliber as currently exists.” Senior software engineering major Bryan Musial pointed out, “I really like the balance that these plans have. You can see Feng Shui-esque inspirations in physical placement and complemented by gentle arcs or the relation of the building(s) to physical landmarks.”

The main reason I came to Rose in the first place is the small size. Are we heading away from that?

Senior civil engineering major Brian Voll is skeptical about the design. “The master plan looks quite crowded. I like the feeling of openness throughout the campus that we have now. The increase in residence buildings also indicates that the enrollment is going to increase. The main reason I came to Rose in the first place is the small size. Are we heading away from that? That worries me a bit. Otherwise, I guess the progress is good, although we have to watch out for progress for the sake of progress.”

A major change in the plans is the traffic flow. It will no longer be possible to drive through campus. The road that begins near Olin Hall and continues past Deming to the SRC will be removed from the intersection near Olin to the intersection near the bridge in front of the SRC. To make up for this loss, a loop has been proposed around campus. A road will be constructed behind White Chapel that connects the parking lot south of Percopo to the parking lot west of the new apartments. A bridge has also been suggested that will cross Lost Creek between the tennis courts and the practice fields. A roadway will also connect the SRC’s east parking lot to Myer’s parking lot. A roundabout will also be constructed near the main entrance south of Hadley Hall. Musial stated, “Initially, I was against having to drive around campus to get to the SRC, however thinking about the road we have between the Quad and Deming has lead me to a different conclusion. Especially during passing periods and ARA meal times, pedestrian traffic effectively chokes that throughway in both directions.” Musial was fond of the proposed roundabout: “A lot of people flip out when they encounter one, but it would help with traffic during busy times.” Junior civil engineering Nick Corkill added, “Improvements include the traffic plan. Allowing for better circular flow around campus and more aesthetic flow like the roundabout at what is currently Hadley circle. This would likely move traffic flow much easier in this much congested area of campus at peak travel times.”

Another major change is the addition of a Greek Village on the east side of campus. This is proposed to be located east of the current fraternity houses near the Tri Delta house. Students have mixed feelings about the availability of Greek housing on campus. Senior civil engineering major J. David Fields stated, “I think there is a strong urge in the off-campus Greek community to build newer houses to accommodate more members. Making space on campus could be enough to convince fraternities to move forward with their new housing plans.” Senior software engineering major Brian Kelley explained, “Well, I’m not really a fan of the Greek Village. I guess it depends on how it would be implemented, but I think the fact each Fraternity has its own house and grounds adds to what makes each unique.” Corkill stated, “One area in particular is increasing Greek housing by double on campus. Will there be enough push for more Greek organizations or the expansion of current Greek organizations?” Musial said, “This is a really cool idea. I like the idea of this being included within campus but still having a separate identity than campus housing. Parking here seems to be ok, with the exception of the northwest-most building that is isolated from additional parking.”

Another concern with the proposed plan was the availability of parking. While a garage is noted in the plan, many feel that it will not be enough. Musial stated, “On parking: placement of Res Halls and parking lots is appropriate, however parking may still be an issue north of the lake. The knowledge center is somewhat isolated from parking and we do have some of our staff that have some physical disabilities that may require some special parking arrangements be made closer to that building. The garage below ‘multipurpose:’ is that intended for resident parking and staff parking? I can see that garage filling up very quickly by residents no matter how big it is made.” Kelley added, “Freshman year, Speed was a pretty tight lot and adding two more halls without additional parking concerns me.” Corkill also commented on the parking, “One other thing to notice is the increased capacity with only minute parking increases, especially with parking being farther away from residence halls and academic buildings.”

Kelley pointed out some other aspects of the design including more open space and courtyard areas, “I like the courtyard between the residence halls that will be replacing Speed and BSB. I think it provides a comfortable place for various things like Ultimate or something, but I’m not sure about putting one so close to the lake because I liked Speed lawn, but lake front land is still available in front of New Res. I also like the courtyard created by the future academic building. Windows and trees are good.”

While the plans presented in November are not like the final plans that will be presented to the Board of Trustees, they do give a general idea of what the planners at Rose-Hulman have in mind for the future. It is likely that their plans will meet with both praise and criticism, no matter what they decide.