However, the housing projects are expected to result in a loss of some off-street parking while also increasing population density in the neighborhood.
The school has identified multiple sites it could turn into about 173 future parking spaces.
The Dayton Plan Board on Tuesday unanimously approved UD’s amended plan with the condition the school try to expand its supply of off-street parking for students.
Parking “is an issue that is not going away,” said Greg Scott, board member. “I encourage city staff and the university to work together.”
UD plans to build two new student housing structures at 327 and 331 Kiefaber St.
The buildings combined will offer 50 beds and replace two single-family structures.
The university also is demolishing the McGinnis Center to make way for student housing that will offer 96 beds.
But the projects will remove some of the existing off-street surface parking in the area. The projects will result in a net reduction of 18 parking spaces.
UD appeared before the Plan Board in May to request an amendment to its general development plan, which was originally approved in 2008 and was amended three years later.
At that meeting, several board members said they were concerned that the supply of parking fell short of the need.
But on Tuesday, university officials said the south student neighborhood has 2,619 designated, off-street student parking spaces for the 2,618 students who live in UD housing. The campus has 7,538 permit parking spaces.
Beth Keyes, UD’s vice president of facilities management, said the new housing will still keep a roughly 1:1 ratio of students to designated parking spaces.
Not all students have cars, and freshmen are not allowed to have cars on campus, she said.
Bruce Bullman, UD’s director of residential properties, said the school has identified a variety of sites that could create new off-street parking.
Scott, the board member, said parking on or near campus has been an issue for years, and the problem will be exacerbated if UD moves forward with new development projects, such as a visual arts center.
“We also have to look down the road because the things that are being done have to outlast us,” Scott said.
The city and university should work together on ways to ease parking issues as UD continues to grow and adds new structures, Scott said.
The Dayton Plan Board voted 5-0 to approve the amendment to the development plan with the condition that UD make a “good faith effort” to add parking in the south campus neighborhood.
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