The Boston University Community Task Force approved the New Balance Field project at Tuesday’s meeting.
Tim Whitney, the project architect, said task force members aim to start the project between late March and late April with the relocation of an underground storm sewer line.
The construction of the field, which will begin in July, is expected to be completed by July 2013, Whitney said.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said it is critical that the project be completed on time.
“It fits in with the academic cycle of the university and our schedule for commencement and activities and move-in, and all those key time frames for the university,” Riley said.
Riley also said BU has a good record with completing projects on time.
“I have every confidence that this project will be the same as all the others,” Riley said.
New Balance Field will include 500 seats, an underground parking garage and some aboveground parking. Whitney said there will be new sidewalks and an “enhanced street presence.”
Michel Hall, the traffic consultant for the project, said the above-ground parking lot will accommodate buses visiting the campus for events.
“Buses come in and park on site and not on the street,” Hall said. “This can store up to 10 buses and minimize buses on the streets.”
Hall said there would be five parking spots lost with the new parking system, but this would be “virtually no change.”
The new field was designated for the field hockey team’s practices and competitions, Whitney said.
The field would also be used for intramural and club sports, said a project manager.
“It just becomes another part of the university facilities that are available for the university community,” Riley said.
Members of the task force and the community voiced their concerns about the project during a question-and-answer portion.
Pamela Beale, chairman of the task force, said there are many options for people to get their complaints fixed. She said it is called “construction mitigation.”
“There’s a whole team of people from the city of Boston . . . [and] that’s all they do is construction mitigation,” Beale said, adding that people who have worries can call the mitagators.
Erico Lopez, project assistant from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said the public could call him with comments until March 30, when the comment period ends.
The new field is set to have state-of-the-art, high quality lighting fixtures, Whitney said. The aim for these high quality lights is to keep the field well lit.
The speaker system will also be designed so as not to cause disturbances for the surrounding community, Whitney said. It will be a distributed system with a lot of small speakers.
“[The sound will be] focused close to spectators, away from residential areas,” Whitney said.
Beale said the current administration will take care to enhance the student experience.
“That’s one of the good things the Master Plan does. It looked around the campus for areas that were under-utilized, that could be activated and make a better student experience,” Beale said. “It’s all about really making it a better place to live and be a student.”
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