The Long Fence, The Big Detour, and The New Parking

The gym-lot parking structure gets underway Dec 18, and it's going to change the way you drive on campus during Spring semester.

UPDATE 1/27/2011: A new section of Staff-only parking has been created in the under-track parking structure. The east side of the first row of spaces nearest to the gym has been set aside for Staff parking only; students may no longer park in these spots. These spaces will be marked with the names of the reserved users. This is part of a new 'stacked parking' plan offered to staff during construction of the new parking structure.

A long-discussed parking structure, adding 800 new spots, is underway in parking lot I, between the pool and the baseball field. The structure is scheduled to be completed in time for Opening Day Fall 2011.

As Biola has grown, particularly in the past five years, parking has become a sore spot both for students who cannot find spots, and for local residents, who have seen an explosion of parking in front of their houses along Biola Ave and other local streets.

The Long Fence

The construction has already begun, with holes dug in the existing lot, and a trench across the baseball field for a new drain pipe for the structure. Beginning Saturday, Dec 18, Lot I will be closed, as will the east side of the Bookstore Lot. All cars must be removed before that date or, according to Campus Safety, they will be removed at the owner's expense.

A huge area will then be fenced off to allow for construction, materials storage, and staging. A diagram of the fenced off area is below.

This will result in a temporary shortage of spots, during Spring semester. Several remedies are being suggested for this:
• Employees will be offered off-campus parking spots in arrangements with local businesses and churches;
• 99 new parking spots were created on the "south" (McNally) athletic fields by temporary blacktopping. These spots are accessible from Biola Ave, beyond Lot C.
• Encouraging "Block" residents (Rosecrans Ave Apartments) and other nearby commuter students to walk to campus, leaving their vehicles parked off campus.
• Intra-campus driving is being discouraged; i.e., driving from Sigma or Hart lots and trying to re-park closer to chapel or to classes.

The Big Detour

Now, if you looked closely at the 'Fencing' diagram, you notice a problem... From Biola Ave, there's no longer any way to get to south campus (Hope, Stewart, Hart) or the Soccer Field parking structure. In fact, there's apparently no way at all to get across from Biola Ave to La Mirada Blvd.

So, "The Big Detour." Using the Talbot entrance (Gate 8, Lot A) off Biola Ave, Facilities Planning has opened several "back doors" that allow traffic to get all the way across campus.

Click to see enlarged

The 'new' route (the red line at the top of the map, above) will take drivers along the north edge of the Talbot and Sutherland lots and through a previously-locked gate behind the Cafeteria. The road then jogs south around the Cafe, then east along the pedestrian walk between Crowell Music and Emerson Hall, and continuing to the T-intersection stop-sign at the Creek, behind Horton Hall.

The roadway between Emerson and Crowell (shown in purple on map above) is the place most likely to have auto-pedestrian conflicts, so pedestrians are encouraged to use the sidewalks rather than the roadway.

Drivers coming in the 'main' entrance off Biola Ave will be limited to the following lots:
• Lot D (visitor/staff lot behind Business)
• Lot E (behind Library)
• Lot F (staff lot behind Soubirou)
• Lot H (west half of Bookstore visitor/staff lot)

The new route does allow Biola Ave access to all other lots and areas... it just takes a bit longer than before... okay, a lot longer.
• To get to the Soccer Field structure, follow the new route all the way to the Creek, turn right, and follow the road south.
• To get to the South Campus res halls, follow the new route all the way to the Creek, turn right, and follow the road behind the Soccer Field all the way south.
• To get to Upper Campus res halls (Sigma, Alpha, Horton, Emerson), follow the new route all the way to the Creek, turn left.

Facilities Planning has stated that their goal is to have the new Gym Lot structure, along with all Biola roads, open by Opening Day Fall 2011. Updates will be regularly posted to the Facilities Planning construction page and also to the StudentLife site.