El Camino College officials are planning to construct new buildings that will take up parts of Parking Lot L, starting in early 2023.

Vice President of Administrative Services Robert “Bob” Suppelsa shared the administrative services plan with the intention of remodeling and building new areas for the college with senators during the Tuesday, Dec. 6 Academic Senate meeting.

All 38 projects will have a budget of $267 million with funding coming from capital funds, including Capital Expansion Fund 41, funding dedicated to state resources.

The proposed area that’s going to have the largest impact throughout the campus is the addition of a “Modular Village” in the space that is currently Lot L.

The Modular Village will include a pantry and wardrobe building, a wellness center, restrooms and a dance and pilates building while the westernmost point of Lot L will become a fire tower and training facility.

Plans for additional classrooms, administration rooms and a new Student Health Services Building are included in the construction plans but are planned for a different area of the campus.

While the plans for the construction of new buildings for Lot L are still in the design phase, the location of the village has sparked concern over the required adjustment of parking spaces and a possible drop in available spots for students.

Academic Senate President-elect and cosmetology professor Charlene Brewer-Smith raised concern over the difficulty construction would have for students who park in Lot L.

“People that park over there [Lot L] are now going to be pushing the other way to park,” Brewer-Smith said. “It’s going to create a different climate of parking”

The plan for the new Student Health Services Building also generated discussion among the faculty at the meeting due to its location being a huge issue for faculty members and staff.

Counselor Rocio Diaz highlighted the proposed location of the new Student Health Services Building is too far from the Student Services Building.

“Being in the Student Services Building, there are times that a student may need to get referred to the Student Health Center and to be supportive of the student, we walk the student over,” Diaz said. “I just don’t know the likelihood of the student actually getting the support they need.”.

Suppelsa acknowledged the concerns of those at the meeting and explained that the current models of the proposed construction are still in revision and that the project can be altered to fit the parking needs of students.

“[We will] reconfigure parking spots and we won’t lose its area,” Suppelsa said.

He also said that if a major issue occurs that will affect students’ parking, construction could be relocated to a different spot on campus, but he anticipates that will not be the case.

Construction is planned to start in early 2023 with a proposed end date planned for April 2024.