Caroline Flaharty

This Monday, the College began the construction of 81 new parking spaces in the Coffin Street parking lot. Matt Orlando, senior vice president for finance and administration and treasurer of the College, predicts the expansion to be fully completed by June 2020.

Orlando explained that the Coffin Street project was born out of the need for more parking spaces close to the center of campus due to the upcoming construction of Mills Hall and the Center for Arctic Studies, which will result in loss of 54 parking spaces.

“We hope to break ground on those projects, at least [on] the site work, as soon as we can in late spring. We need to have a parking lot ready to go once Dayton Lot goes offline,” said Orlando.

The date of completion for the Coffin Lot project is still uncertain.

“We’re doing the clearing now before winter conditions hit. The plan is to finish as much site work as possible during the winter and lay gravel initially,” said Orlando. “[Then] in June of 2020, we will pour the asphalt for the lot.”

Despite the construction running into the backyard of 28 College Street, a property purchased by the College in 2017, Orlando explained that the expansion will not affect the house.

The new spaces in Coffin Lot will still be designated for faculty, staff and visitors during daytime on workdays and open to students at night and on weekends.

Orlando added that the College is exploring the possibility of adding more designated student parking spaces.