Posted on March 22: Public meeting shares proposed designs for new front entrance

Preliminary plans for a new “front door” into McMaster University will be on display Tuesday in the McMaster University Student Centre Donaldson Family Marketplace.
Hosted by the McMaster University Front Entrance Steering Committee, the public meeting will share proposed designs for the campus entrance from Main Street opposite Emerson Street. It will take place from 3 to 7 p.m.
Representatives from the project consulting firm Marshall Macklin Monaghan and the project steering committee will be present to discuss the plans and answer questions.
The entrance, known as the University Gate, will be the “front door” for campus, although the main entrance to campus from Sterling Street will be maintained. Four options for the new entrance will be displayed, with a conceptual drawing of the preferred “option 1”. The drawings will include information about pedestrian, cycling, transit and vehicular access.
Other displays will include background information about the Campus Plan, an environmental assessment on the revised entrance by the City of Hamilton approved earlier this year, a table of pros and cons on establishing a new entrance, alternatives for textured pavement treatments, a schedule of implementation and concept sketches for landscaping and gateway features.
The concept of an enhanced entrance to McMaster University from Main Street has been reviewed numerous times over the past 40 years. In March 2003, the Board of Governors approved the new Campus Master Plan, which includes the Main Street entrance, identified as a top-priority project.
Numerous meetings with campus stakeholders have identified concerns about the entrance, including parking on College Crescent, cyclist and pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic volume. Strategies to mitigate these concerns will be presented at this public meeting.
The timeline for completion of the project is August 31, 2004.