LAND USE PLAN

The land use plan, described below in text and maps (see Figure 9), implements the organizing principles, assigns program elements to designated land use areas, and describes the principles that will guide development within those areas. In many cases, components of one program element may be assigned to different land use categories. [31]

CAMPUS CORE

Approximately 102 acres within the central campus area circumscribed by the loop road system of Hagar, Heller, McLaughlin, and Meyer drives (see Figure 9) are designated Campus Core. [32] The Campus Core will continue to be the focus of centralized instructional resources and research space on campus. Those academic facilities with major spacial and infrastructure requirements, such as science laboratories and libraries, are particularly appropriate for location in the Campus Core. Some facilities that must be accessible to the campus community as a whole will also be located in the Campus Core. Based on these criteria, facilities to accommodate the following program elements will be the principal projects sited in the Campus Core: General Administration, General Academic Services and Classrooms, Academic Support, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences (especially laboratory research facilities), Arts, Library Expansion, Public Services (including the University Club), Student Services (including a Student Center and Graduate Center), and some Logistical Services functions (possibly including Physical Planning). The boundary of the Campus Core area to the south of and east of the Student Center [33] may be adjusted to accommodate future uses consistent with the Campus Core designation, provided that the boundary of the area is not extended further to the east and the overall area of Campus Core in the immediate vicinity is not increased.

COLLEGES AND GRADUATE STUDENT HOUSING

The college arc, established in previous plans, is designated Colleges and Graduate Student Housing and is expanded to 241 acres in this LRDP. The area occupies land to the east, north and west of the Campus Core and will accommodate the construction of new colleges, expansions of existing colleges, and graduate student housing projects. As many as 1,000 students will be enrolled in each college, and housing will be provided for as many as 750 student residents in each college. A limited amount of additional housing will be provided in colleges for faculty and staff members, and graduate students functioning as provosts and preceptors. In addition, wherever site size permits, recreational amenities should be provided in the colleges. Housing suitable for graduate students will be constructed either in conjunction with new colleges or as separate developments. These housing projects will include the social and intellectual amenities of college living, although they will not include faculty office or academic space.

While facilities for all academic divisions may be located in the colleges, major new college-based academic facilities will be associated with the Humanities and the Social Sciences, divisions for which infrastructure requirements are less extensive and less specialized than the Natural Sciences and the Arts. [34] The principal program elements permitted in College and Graduate Student Housing areas include Academic Support facilities, General Academic Services and Classrooms, Divisional space, Housing and Food Services, Student Services, and Physical Education and Recreation. Residential facilities may include both dormitories and apartment-style accommodations.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND RECREATION

Approximately 88 acres of relatively level campus land in three separate areas of campus are designated Physical Education and Recreation in this LRDP. Two of these areas, those located east and west of the Campus Core, already accommodate P.E. and Recreation facilities. The western area does not have sufficient remaining undeveloped space to permit an expansion of P.E. and Recreation facilities. The eastern area, with a total of approximately 67 acres, has sufficient space to permit the construction of new indoor recreation facilities, playing fields, and courts. The third area, northwest of the Campus Core, is currently undeveloped and could accommodate a sizable program that would be convenient to colleges located on the northeast and northwest sides of the developed campus.

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Five separate areas of the campus, totaling approximately 42 acres, are designated Campus and Community Support. The largest area, located at the south entrance to campus, now accommodates several Campus Facilities functions, including Physical Planning and Construction, Building and Grounds Services, Purchasing, Crafts and Maintenance shops, and equipment storage. Additional facilities in this area include the University Children's Center, the Barn Theater, University Extension, City on a Hill Press, University Police, and the Women's Center. Three of the remaining areas designated Campus and Community Support are located at the periphery of the Campus Core and currently accommodate the University House (the Chancellor's residence), the Central Heating Plant, and the Whole Earth Restaurant and Baytree Bookstore. The Fire Station occupies the fifth designated area, northeast of the Campus Core. Sufficient space exists in these five areas to accommodate anticipated growth associated with the following program elements: Support Services, Public Services, and Student Services. [35] Additional child care facilities can also be provided in this area.

FAMILY STUDENT HOUSING

Approximately 21 acres of campus land southwest of the Campus Core, encompassing the existing Family Student Housing complex, are designated Family Student Housing in this LRDP. While most of this area is developed, approximately five undeveloped acres to the northwest of the existing complex are available for the construction of additional Family Student Housing facilities. [36] The principal program elements to be included in this area are Housing and Food Services, and Student Services.

FACULTY HOUSING

Approximately 16 acres encompassing existing faculty housing projects near the south campus entrance are designated Faculty Housing in this LRDP. Except for a limited number of faculty housing units planned for the area east of Hagar Court roadway, expansion or intensification of development within the area is not anticipated, as there is little undeveloped land remaining. The northwestern boundary of the Faculty Housing area west of Hagar Court roadway will act as a buffer zone to separate residential uses from activity on Coolidge Drive. A roadway may be permitted within this buffer zone to connect Campus Facilities activities with Hagar Drive, provided that appropriate berming and landscaping are incorporated in order to protect the residential nature of the Faculty Housing area. Any proposal for a roadway in this area will be subject to review and approval by appropriate campus planning bodies, which will consult with the Cardiff Terrace Homeowners Association.

INCLUSION AREAS

Five inclusion areas totaling 125 acres are identified in this plan. Inclusion areas are intended to accommodate activities that, while related to the campus only indirectly, provide University-affiliated, non-academic facilities advantageous to the functioning of the campus community. The primary use considered for these areas is the provision of housing for faculty and staff members, graduate students, students with families, and single students. Child care facilities can also be provided in inclusion areas. An easement for a public school, planned in conjunction with housing, can also be provided on Inclusion Area A. The combined acreage of these areas would be sufficient to accommodate as many as 1,250 units of housing at average densities of ten units per acre. All identified areas are intended to be served easily by major off-campus roads in order to reduce potential traffic congestion in the central campus.

Since a primary purpose of inclusion area development is the achievement of campus housing goals through the construction of housing affordable to newly-recruited faculty and staff, priority will be given to construction on areas with low utility and other site development costs. Initial studies by the UCSC Office of Finance, Planning, and Administration indicate that Inclusion Area A would have the lowest utility and site development cost per dwelling unit, making it the most preferred site for housing development.

Inclusion Area A, a 45-acre grassland site, lies on the west side of Empire Grade. Municipal utilities are available at the boundary of the site. This inclusion area is easily accessible from Empire Grade and is adjacent to existing residential development in the city of Santa Cruz. The site lies in the Coastal Zone and may require a Coastal Commission permit prior to development.

Inclusion Area B is located on the east side of Empire Grade due south of the Cave Gulch neighborhood. This 9-acre site is wooded with oak, madrone, and redwood. Development costs would be higher than on Inclusion Area A because sewer lines would have to be extended to this site.

Inclusion Area C, a 28-acre site, is located northwest of both existing Campus Core development and proposed college sites at the northern end of Heller Drive. In order to develop this site for inclusion area use, a bridge would be needed to provide an access from Empire Grade that would not utilize central campus roads. The site would be served by campus utility systems, although development on areas above 900 feet in elevation would require a new water storage tank.

Inclusion Area D lies directly west of the main campus entrance on a knoll above the Barn Theater and Cook House. Accessible from High Street and from Coolidge Drive, the 28-acre site is well-served by utilities. Portions of the site are visible from the campus entry, from High Street, from the historic area, and from southbound Coolidge Drive near Hagar Drive. The design of any facilities located here should be compatible with existing ranch structures.

Inclusion Area E, a 16-acre grassland site, is located south of the West Remote parking lot and is well-served by campus utilities. The site is highly visible from the west campus entrance due to its location and topography. To help reduce potential visual impacts on the west campus entrance, the boundary of this inclusion area is set back 100 feet from Empire Grade and from Heller Drive. In addition, housing on this site should be designed to be visually compatible with the built and natural setting of the west campus entrance.

SITE-SPECIFIC RESEARCH

Two areas, totaling 152 acres and encompassing the existing Farm and Garden Project, Arboretum, Redwood Institute, and Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, are designated Site-specific Research Areas in this LRDP. The development of new buildings associated with these projects will occur within these designated areas. The principal program elements associated with these projects are: Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Student Services.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESERVE

The 393-acre Environmental Reserve is established to protect some of the natural features and processes of the campus for teaching and research that is consistent with the maintenance of the environment. The boundaries have been drawn in part to consolidate the Environmental Reserve into large, manageable units and to include, where possible, forest springs and the upper portions of watersheds. The Environmental Reserve includes some major campus drainages, geological features, archaeological sites, animal corridors, and representatives of many species and habitats present on campus, including dwarf redwoods and coastal prairie.

Lands within the Environmental Reserve will be maintained in their natural state as much as possible. Construction--except that required for maintenance of the area as a teaching reserve (including the construction of a Field Studies Center) and the limited construction of fire roads, bridges, or utility accesses--is prohibited in the Environmental Reserve. The Environmental Reserve will be managed in accordance with plans prepared by the Campus Natural Reserve Committee. The portion of the Environmental Reserve east of Empire Grade and south of the University House is and will continue to be managed by the UC Natural Reserve System Committee and the Arboretum.

PROTECTED LANDSCAPES

Previous planning studies have considered campus natural areas as a prime feature distinguishing UC Santa Cruz from other universities. Approximately 312 acres of undeveloped land located outside the Environmental Reserve have been designated Protected Landscapes in order to maintain special campus landscapes for their scenic value and to maintain special vegetation and wildlife corridors. Wherever possible, Protected Landscapes will be retained in an undeveloped state as the campus grows. Any development allowed within the Protected Landscapes will not impinge on their overall character or prevent the functioning of identified wildlife corridors.

The Great Meadow [37] will be maintained as undisturbed grassland. In the lower campus meadows, no building will be allowed that is highly visible from major transportation routes, and the design of any building located there must be compatible with the architectural character of the Cowell Ranch buildings. Agricultural research that maintains the visual quality of the lower meadows may be allowed.

CAMPUS RESOURCE LANDS

A total of 471 acres of undeveloped land located primarily in the northern part of campus is designated Campus Resource Land. These areas are not planned for extensive development under this LRDP and will generally be maintained in their natural state. Development of large-scale projects such as academic facilities, colleges, housing, and parking lots, is not permitted in these areas under this LRDP, although smaller projects, such as the construction of a water storage tank or a roadway, are permitted, subject to the review of appropriate committees and the approval of the Chancellor.

HISTORIC CAMPUS ENTRY AREA

The "Historic Area" is designated an overlay district encompassing the Protected Landscape and Campus and Community Support areas at the south campus entrance. Policies governing land use in this area are intended to afford a degree of protection to the remaining Cowell Ranch buildings. These buildings, with their associated settings and vistas, are important to state and local history and have been widely recognized as such. They constitute a landmark that helps define a strong and unique "sense of place" for UC Santa Cruz. The University's original development approach for this area, combining adaptive reuse of historic buildings, sensitive site planning, and compatible additions, has brought widespread praise. The following policies will guide future management of the area:

 

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