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Bob Sheffield, attorney for Curry, has said the look of the building was designed with a sloped roof to direct noise away from neighborhood and blend in with other architecture on campus and surrounding neighborhood.
But he said that the scope of the construction has not met with universal support.
“There seemed to have been significant neighborhood opposition to the project,” Sheffield said. “So we thought the best thing at this time would be to withdraw the request for variance.”
Curry withdrew its request prior to the adjourned hearing on Nov. 25. Ken Quigley, president of Curry, was on hand for the hearing.
The Selectmen voted Nov. 21 to send a letter to the appeals board asking them not to approve the new dorm.
At that time, Selectmen Marion McEttrick said the college had not done enough to meet neighbors’ concerns.
“It’s clear that Curry has not been able to assure the neighbors that this is better than the alternative,” she
said. She pointed out that Curry already has around 30 empty dorm rooms on campus.
Selectmen Chair Kathy Fagan agreed that the proposed 50-foot structure would be “very high for that area.”
Lisa Leo of Wolcott Street has led neighbors in an organized protest of what she calls Curry’s “aggressive expansions” over recent years, including in 2005 the construction of a dorm on Brush Hill Road.
“People are upset. They feel helpless,” said Leo. “They’re buildings on top of the road. There’s a lot of land available to build away from the road.”
Paul Pasquerella of Milton Street voiced his own concerns about the proposed Milton Street dorm in a letter addressed to Selectmen. He is one of 15 residents on Milton Street who signed the letter. Some of them attended the Selectmen’s Nov. 20 meeting.
“We do not wish to be the college’s adversary,” Pasquerella said. “But the college needs to choose its building sites with the community in mind.”
The letter, which was also sent to the Times, said that the dorm would “loom imposingly on its neighbors on Milton Street” if it were constructed near the road.
Fran Jackson, Curry’s communications director, has a different view.
“The building will be set back 100 feet from the road,” she said. “That’s far more than the 30 feet required of us in the town’s bylaw.”
Jackson said the college is working with neighbors and has the best interest of the community in mind.
“We’ve had a continuous line of communication,” she said. “We have had two separate meetings with neighbors since the first hearing on Sept. 20. We understand some neighbors are opposed (to the new dorm) and we fully respect that.”
Jackson said the Milton Street dorm is part of a long-term, multi-year expansion plan to increase enrollment by up to 400 students. Construction continues with an 84,000 square foot, $35million student center that will open next year.
The goal of long-term planning, said Jackson, is to encourage growth and economic viability to keep the college competitive.
“Clearly our plans have had the best interest of the community in mind,” she said. “It’s important to note that our plans have involved residents’ feedback on a number of issues.”
Curry currently has 2,000 undergraduates, 1,600 continuing education students and 400 graduates. About 1,450 live on campus.
Jackson said the college will revise the plan for the Milton Street dorm.
“We proposed what we feel is a much more attractive building,” she said. “We do recognize that we need cooperation from the board of the appeals on this aspect of planning and we intend to continue to work with them.”