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STUDY BACKGROUND

This campus parking study was initiated as a result of the development agreement between the City of Northampton and Smith College. In that agreement, Smith recognized the need for a comprehensive approach to planning for its campus parking, both as it relates to current campus activity, and future campus programs. Other past studies by Smith, such as the Smith College Landscape Master Plan, and the 1999 Parking Study, pointed to the need for a plan for parking that reflected the goals of encouraging and enhancing a pedestrian campus, preserving the extraordinary heritage and landscape elements of the campus, discouraging parking spillover into the adjacent residential neighborhood, and other goals. Accordingly, this Campus Parking Master Plan looks to reflect the college’s goals aimed at creating a culture on campus based on environmental and economic sustainability.

The scope of this Campus Parking Master Plan was developed with input from the City of Northampton. Smith contracted with the consultant Fuss & O'Neill, Inc. to prepare this study. The main purpose of the Campus Parking Master Plan is to document existing campus parking supply and demand for parking spaces as well as provide a recommendation for the number of parking spaces needed to serve the various college users and programs. These demand estimates focus on current year 2006 programs and on a 10-year future. A good deal of emphasis was also placed on the analysis of feasible TDM (Transportation Demand Management) actions that could be applied to decrease the vehicle demand on campus by encouraging use of alternative travel modes, and accordingly, decrease the demand for future parking spaces.

During the course of this study, there were numerous meetings to solicit input and review project progress. There were three public meetings with the neighborhood, as well as other meetings with city officials, Smith College officials, and faculty/staff representatives from other college committees.

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