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from the issue of April 7, 2005
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Opinions start to shape UNL master plan
UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
The future of UNL was literally in the hands of those who attended a pair of master plan visioning sessions last week.
Offering three campus maps - at the Nebraska Union on March 29, then at the East Union on March 30 - representatives of Clark Enersen Partners (the local firm hired as consultants on the plan) showed staff, faculty and students their future land use options.
The maps were broken down into three main areas - transportation (getting there), green space, and growth and change.
The team used a unique combination of maps mounted on foam core boards. The presenter was able to remove a current section of the map and replace it with one of the proposed options, showing participants a bird's eye view of possible change.
Those attending - which numbered over 150 at the Nebraska Union, and around 50 at the East Union - were encouraged to explore the maps on their own, moving the tiles into a formation they believed worked best.
"I felt the maps were a very useful way to see this," Anthony Starace, professor of physics and astronomy, said. "But, I had a feeling afterward that I may have pumped for more buildings in every single block.
"It was very interesting to see the different quadrants. But, I don't know how many people actually looked at the overall picture instead of each block individually."
On City Campus, the blocks were divided into five areas - Vine Street Mall (between Memorial Stadium and 16th Street), Beadle Center Field, the Big T (industrial area around 16th and Y streets), Teachers College Green and the Textron Property (around 22nd and Vine streets).
Those attending were encouraged to fill out an opinion sheet on which change appears to work best for each area.
"Those opinions are very important to this process," Jennifer Dam, campus planner, said. "What Clark Enersen is doing, is pulling out predominant themes from those. Then, we'll try and see how they mesh with our academic strategic planning and with the existing campus master plan."
The creation of a Vine Street mall played out in three options that all replaced the parking lot east of Memorial Stadium with green space. The area is to be a focal point for some type of landmark. Two of the options called for a continuation of the traffic loop around the area, the other closed the mall to foot traffic only with a small area for visitor parking at Morrill Hall.
The overall City Campus plan is expected to result in a decrease of traffic through campus, as most of the vehicles will be directed to the outside with the completion of the Antelope Valley Project. Only one street - 17th, east of Husker Courtyards - was presented as a possible closure.
As has been the plan for a number of years, parking is expected to continue to be pushed to the outskirts of campus.
"I think the issue is to look at the parking lots in the interior of campus as either building sites or green space," Dan Carpenter, manager of transit planning services, said. "That will always be a political debate. But, we do expect to have garages to centralize parking for students, faculty and staff."
The remainder of the city campus plan centered on how best to juggle green space (including athletic fields) and the location of research facilities.
Clark Enersen officials also stressed a need to create definite entry points to city campus, while also allowing it to mesh with existing downtown business sites.
Among changes eyed for East Campus:
• Creating more visible entrances, especially along Holdrege Street, where a new main south entrance was proposed aligning the mall with Idylwild Drive. An east entrance off 48th Street, proposed in the 1998 plan, is still shown.
• Participants were asked to evaluate placement of a parking garage that would serve the East Union and campus core. Two locations were suggested - one north of the union on the old Livestock Judging Pavilion space and one east of the union.
• A passenger drop-off zone and new plaza for the East Union was shown. Various scenarios to add a building north of Plant Industry were shown.
• Plans for a conservatory/trial-demonstration garden were posited. Among suggested locations were the former Livestock Judging Pavilion site or a site north of the College of Dentistry.
• The land north of the dental college had several proposed uses. It could site as many as four new academic buildings, three academic buildings and surface parking, or a recreation building and outdoor recreation courts.
• Participants were asked to assess whether the student housing in the west sector should also have recreation facilities. Some suggested that the housing be sited north of the dental college and academic buildings relocate to the land currently housing Burr and Fedde and other structures.
Dam stressed that none of the plans are finalized. She said the master plan committee would use opinions from the visioning sessions and an upcoming survey to help forge a draft plan this summer.
She said that plan would be discussed in the fall, allowing time to complete the update of the master plan and present it to the regents in December.
"Our hope is that we will continue to have the kind of interest and involvement from faculty, staff and students that we saw in these visioning sessions," Dam said. "It was exciting to see people turn out and give their input in the future of the university."
Next Step
An online survey, to be released in the next few weeks, will be used to gather more opinions as work continues on the Master Plan draft.
GO TO: ISSUE OF APRIL 7
NEWS HEADLINES FOR APRIL 7
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A Piece of University History
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Opinions start to shape UNL master plan
Perlman previews budget info
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