Less than a month after the new first-year parking lot opened by the Francis Center, freshmen are raising concerns about their safety walking to and from the Gateway lot. Elon freshman Andy Bowman works at the Publix grocery store in Burlington, around a ten minute drive from campus. Bowman said that as a manager, he usually gets off of work at 11:15 p.m. After his shift is over, Bowman drives back to campus and then walks from the first-year parking lot back to his dorm in Colonnades — totaling a 30-minute walk. Bowman said that he usually gets back to his dorm at 12:30 a.m.
The Alamance-Burlington School System has a six-step plan for its district-wide rezoning, developed in collaboration with SchoolCAMP, a professional consulting firm affiliated with North Carolina State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education. The plan, currently in its second phase, is expected to be complete by spring 2026. It includes a land use study, community engagement, zonal mapping, a board vote, family notification and implementation. The rezoning will then take effect in the 2026-27 academic year.
