The University opened the top two lots of the baseball field parking lot, the Enhanced Parking and Storage Project, on Aug. 21. The lower level lot will open in September, wrote Andrew Clark, director of administration for the Department of Planning, Operations and Construction, in an Aug. 15 email to the Graphic.
Meanwhile, construction in Rho Lot in preparation for the parking garage of The Mountain at Mullin Park will continue until the expected completion date in fall 2024, Clark wrote. The University plans to close the entire Rho lot in early spring 2024to carry on with construction.
Despite the partial closure of Rho, Clark wrote there will be enough parking for all students, faculty and staff on campus with all three of the Enhanced Parking and Storage Project’s parking lots combined.
“This fall, there will be more parking available on campus than before we started the Enhanced Parking and Storage Project, even when considering the closed portion of Rho Parking Lot,” Clark wrote.
Sam Hubbard, junior and Lovernich resident, said she’s happy to see the Enhanced Parking and Storage Project opening to students.
“I feel like we have extra space because last year it seemed like there was no room for anybody,” Hubbard said.
Later this fall, the size of the construction zone in Rho will increase, Clark wrote. Access to the Rockwell Towers Parking Lot will shift from North Towers Road to a temporary access road in Rho.
“This temporary access road will allow us to complete necessary work along North Towers Road,” Clark wrote.
This fall, construction to Rho has included site work needed to begin constructing the parking garage, Clark wrote. The University has relocated many utilities, as well as demolished first-year housing, including Krown Beta Residence Hall, and is now installing temporary supports to allow the mass excavation needed for the parking garage.
The University plans to close Rho entirely in the spring, but there will still be plenty of parking spaces, Clark wrote.
When the University removed 83 parking spaces from Rho to begin constructing The Mountain’s parking garage in March, parking on campus became increasingly difficult for students, according to a previous Graphic report.
Despite Clark’s affirmation that there will be enough parking for everyone on campus in spring, Hubbard said closing Rho will make parking on campus more inconvenient. She said she will most likely have to park near Drescher when the lot closes.
“It’s not really a very accessible way for us [students] to get to our cars, especially if it’s a hike all the way up to them,” Hubbard said.
Jacob Eminger, junior and commuter student, said living off campus makes parking on campus easier for him.
Eminger said he hasn’t had much trouble finding parking on campus as a commuter student. He said because of his 8 a.m., classes, he arrives on campus before most other students.
When Rho closes completely, Eminger said Seaside and Lovernich residents will be affected most as Rho is a primary source of parking spots for those students.
“I don’t know if it [the closure of Rho] will affect me very much because I park on the other side of the school,” Eminger said. “I’m sure the kids that live in Seaside will start parking in the law school parking lot or further up Drescher.”
To have more coherent parking policies until The Mountain’s parking garage opens, the University is developing a parking plan. The University will share the plan with the community in the coming weeks, Clark wrote.
___________________
Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
Contact Millie Auchard via Instagram @millieauchard or email: melissa.auchard@pepperdine.edu
