Marietta College officials are considering a plan that could ban incoming freshmen from having vehicles on campus, as a way to help ease parking congestion on campus and on the city streets around it.
Parking on and around campus has become more of an issue in recent months as the college broke ground on a new $24 million, 105,000-square-foot dormitory near the intersection of Seventh and Putnam streets.
The project has consumed a 67-space parking lot and contractors will be taking up about another 65 spaces in a neighboring lot. Construction on the project is expected to continue through the fall of 2012.
There is already concern from those who live in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus that student and staff cars will fill their street parking.
"It's not an issue right now but when classes resume this fall it's going to be awful," said Meaghan Hahn, 30, of 513 Whites Road, located just off the college campus. "Even before they took away spaces parking has been an issue."
Hahn and others in her neighborhood approached Marietta City Council last fall, requesting that parking in the area be by permit only on streets including Fifth, Sixth, Tupper and Whites Road. The issue failed to leave committee. Under the proposal, the permits could only be purchased by residents, including the tenants of two sorority houses and a shelter home in the neighborhood.
"I would have been willing to pay whatever they wanted," Hahn said. "Sometimes you have to park two or three blocks away ... That's not fun when you have a carload of groceries ... I'm really not looking forward to the start of school this fall."
Many homes in the neighborhood are century-old and few have driveways or garages. Finding space near home is frequently an issue and is likely to become more of an issue with fewer spaces on campus, Hahn said.
With the loss of the Mills parking area for the dorm construction, the college is left with 886 parking spaces for students, staff and visitors.
"Last year, we had 1,724 total students and staff and we estimate 1,021 had vehicles," said Tom Perry, director of student life at the college. "Not everyone drives or has a vehicle."
Perry said once the new dorm, which has not been named, is complete, Parsons Hall will be leveled and the ground will be converted into more parking for the college. That will bring the total spaces up to 1,130.
"Limiting freshman (vehicle usage) has been under discussion for this fall, but to my knowledge no decision has been made," Perry said. "One thing I know we will be doing is (putting new signs in) all of the parking areas on campus and working to let students know where they are expected to park."
Currently, the college does not allow freshman to have vehicles on campus, however, a limited number of permits are granted to freshman commuter students and those who demonstrate they need a vehicle for work or medical purposes. It was unclear how much of an effect a total ban on the freshman class would have.
Perry said the college plans to grow by about 33 students over each of the next few years. Five years ago the college had about 1,300 students and 10 years ago enrollment was around 1,050.
"The Parsons parking area takes into account the anticipated growth," Perry said.
Marietta College sophomore Tyler Amrine, 19, of Marietta, said he commutes to the college every day for class.
"I usually just park along the road somewhere," he said. "I'm usually able to find a spot but I do sometimes hear people complaining about parking."
Marietta Councilman Harley Noland, D-At large, said he would like council to revisit a park-by-permit plan.
"There's still a problem and we should address the problem," Noland said.
Councilman David White, R-1st Ward, said he opposes the idea of taking public parking and privatizing it.
"It's a slippery slope and if we do it in one neighborhood, we'll be asked to do it in others," he said. "Parking up there, although it looks bad sometimes, isn't as bad as it seems ... I've always been able to find open parking, with the exception of Whites Road, which was usually pretty full."
Sixth Street resident Barb Moberg said parking along her street isn't as bad as other nearby areas. Still, she expressed concern about the potential of more students and less parking.
"Limiting freshmen might be a good idea," she said. "Very, very few of the homes around here have driveways and I understand that people want to park near their homes."
