Over winter break, Vanderbilt will begin breaking ground on a new residence hall construction project at the current Tarpley building and parking lot on West End. As a result, students who park in this lot, as well as those who have parking at Pi Beta Phi, Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Nu and Kappa Kappa Gamma, will lose access to these parkings spots when they return to campus in January.

Those with Greek house parking will have the option of street parking along Kensington Place. Additionally, the university is securing more student parking spots in the 25th Avenue garage, located near highland campus, so that students losing their regular spots in the Tarpley parking lot have the opportunity to park elsewhere on campus. To facilitate this adjustment, VSG has also worked to add a Vandy Van stop to the 25th Avenue garage. 

According to VSG Vice President Ryan Connor, students who decide not to bring their cars back following Thanksgiving or winter break will have the ability to receive a full refund for both semesters of parking to alleviate some of the financial burden of not being able to have a car on campus.

These changes are a part of the West End Renovation, one of the projects under FutureVU, Vanderbilt’s long term campus land use initiative. By 2023, Vanderbilt hopes to have a series of three new college halls along West End, replacing not only the Tarpley building but also Towers. The winter break construction will consist of burying utilities to prepare for these new college halls. Additionally, the next few years will bring changes to other parts of the West End neighborhood, as the university plans to replace many of the roads along Greek row with green spaces.