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Adelphi Housing Plan Meets Resistance
Several residents who live near the Adelphi University campus spoke against the university's proposal to build a new four-story residence hall at a public hearing held at the November 8th Garden City Board of Trustees meeting. Adelphi University President Dr. Robert A. Scott explained that the building, to be located on the west side of the campus near the other residential halls, is needed to accommodate current enrollment. There are 120 students now living in triple rooms which were originally designed to be double rooms. Dr. Scott said an additional 70 students decided not to enroll because of the lack of housing. The new 60,000-square-foot hall will provide 171 beds. A separate construction project is currently underway at the university. The project, located on the eastern side of the campus, involves the renovation of the athletic building and addition of a new sports center, renovation and addition to the performing arts center, construction of a new Child Activity Center, relocation of Stiles Field and construction of a parking facility eight feet under the field, and construction of a more efficient and aesthetically pleasing grounds garage. "We have made promises to you," said Dr. Scott. "We have kept the Board, as well as our neighbors, the property owners' association and the village, apprised of our progress, and we have kept our promises. This new residence hall is not intended to assist us in increasing enrollment. In fact, enrollment is at just about the level where we want it to be." He said that any growth being considered is at the graduate level, which doesn't require housing. According to Dr. Scott, the university has an enrollment of 6,800 students. Currently, 1,200 students live on campus. Several residents who live on nearby Brompton Road spoke against the project. They also added that speeding along residential roads continues to be a problem. "Our neighborhood is directly impacted by this construction," said Dr. Joseph Cipriani. He said more buildings on the campus will increase pollution and place and place an additional cost burden on fire and police departments and emergency medical personnel. He said the project is too large, and added that the village building department denied his application for a 200-square-foot addition to his home. John Strandberg questioned whether the Board of Trustees is doing enough to help residents who believe their quality of life is being negatively affected. "We have to achieve a proper balance," he said. "It just seems that the balance is tilting toward the Adelphi community at the expense of the citizens who live very close to the school." Beverly Hegarty said the Board should wait to see the environmental impact after current construction is completed and in operation on campus before they vote on the new project. The new sports center is expected to be open by May 1st. Relocation of Stiles Field and construction of a parking facility eight feet under the field is expected to be completed by August. The Board is expected to vote on the issue after receiving the results of a project review by the Nassau County Planning Commission. The commission can offer suggestions, or simply leave it for local determination. Adelphi is asking the Board of Trustees for a special use permit, which is a requirement under Village code for structures that are being used for a college purpose and measure more than 5,000 square feet. If the Board of Trustees decides to grant the permit, the university will next seek approval from the Village's Architectural Design Review Board. The ADRB examines the exterior building designs to make sure they maintain appropriate standards of appearance and relationship to surroundings. The project also needs a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, known as SEQR. Dr. Scott said it will take 15 months to complete the residence hall. University officials would like to have it completed by late July, 2009.
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