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from the issue of March 10, 2005
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Visioning workshops set for master plan update
BY KIM HACHIYA, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Two "visioning" workshops have been set to solicit input into an update of UNL's master physical plan. Jennifer Dam, campus planner, said UNL is about midway through updating its master physical plan, and the workshops are one way for faculty, staff and students to voice opinions.
The workshops are 2-5 p.m. March 29 in the Nebraska Union and 2-5 p.m. March 30 n the Nebraska East Union and are open to all interested individuals.
NU Central Administration has directed all four NU campuses to update master plans this year. UNL will be the final campus to present its plan to the regents in December, she said. The goal is to have the plan nearly finalized by late summer so it can be fine tuned as necessary before presentation.
The master physical plan lays out ideas about future land uses and suggests policies for developing the campus, she said. The plan was last updated in 1998 and typically the university revisits the plan every seven to 10 years. The plan deals in broad strokes, she said. For instance, although it states that certain parts of campus should be generally dedicated as academic space or research space, it doesn't specify exact future building locations.
Dam said the Clark Enersen Partners were hired as consultants on the plan. They have been interviewing deans, directors, department chairs/heads, students and faculty to identify key issues that affect the future growth and development of the university.
A steering committee composed of representatives from the senior vice chancellor's office, IANR, Institutional Research and Planning, Parking, Student Affairs, Athletics, UNL Facilities Management and Planning, and faculty has met with the consultants several times.
"We are doing a lot of outreach to the departments and colleges to find out their needs," Dam said. The overall goal is to have the physical plan be informed by and support the campus's academic priorities and strategic planning efforts.
Many units on campus plan their programs in relation to the campus master plan, Dam said. For instance, Parking, Housing, Athletics and Campus Recreation are players because they require space to achieve their purposes.
"The goal is to have our plans be consistent with each other's needs," she said.
One reason to revisit a plan, she said, is because over time parts of a plan are implemented, and can thus be removed from a "wish list" stage. And changes in priorities, or additions or loss of land require new plans. For instance, the acquisition of the Textron property means UNL now controls buildings and acres it did not have in 1998. Similarly, the loss of property to the Antelope Valley project, while projected in the 1998 plan, presents new challenges and opportunities.
"For instance, the current master plan shows several academic or research buildings west of the Beadle Center. Is that still OK? Or has the Textron property affected that decision," she said.
East Campus has some particular challenges, Dam said. The 1998 plan anticipated the Tractor Test Lab Track might not be needed in the future and could be replaced by a road to complete the internal loop drive; but the track will probably be needed for a while, she said. The plan also called for the North 38th Street entrance off Leighton Avenue to move slightly west so as to be on axis with the East Union and an entrance to East Campus from 48th Street. All these ideas need to be re-examined, she said.
Dam said she also hopes to implement a web-based survey for students, faculty and staff to solicit input.
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