UC MERCED MODIFIES PLANS FOR FUTURE CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT TO REDUCE IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE WETLANDS
Reconfigured "footprint" will support full campus and university community development on 2% less acreage while impact on wetlands is reduced by 33%
A map of the previous plan and revised plan is available here.
MERCED, CA - The University of California, Merced, said today (Oct. 5) it will adjust its plans for future development of the campus and associated university community to preserve more wetlands and achieve greater land-use efficiency. The slightly smaller physical "footprint" will support full development of the campus, accommodating up to 25,000 students as originally planned, and the contiguous university community (primarily housing and support services for the campus). Current construction plans within the first phase of the campus are not affected. The reconfiguration stems from a series of consultations with federal agencies involved in the administration of the U.S. Clean Water Act and is intended to allow the university to move more efficiently through the required federal permit application process.
The reconfigured campus footprint will total about 810 acres, compared with the previous plan of 910 acres. The 810-acre site will include about 580 acres of the previously proposed site (including the 105 acres on which the first phase of the campus sits), plus approximately 230 acres of grazing land previously located within the University Community Plan area, directly south of and contiguous to the existing campus. (The 230-acre parcel is owned by the University Community Land Company, LLC, which is jointly owned by the University of California and the Virginia Smith Trust.) As a result of this reconfiguration, the size of the adjacent university community will slightly increase, resulting in a total development that is virtually unchanged from the original plan.
The change in the campus and university community footprint will reduce the amount of environmentally sensitive wetlands affected by development from about 121 acres to 81 acres, or approximately 33 percent.
The revised campus layout, coupled with modifications made in late 2000, will reduce the university's expected impact on native wetlands by approximately 95 percent, compared with plans originally made in the late 1990s.
"I am very pleased to announce our intent to embark on this path toward resolution of the very complex federal permitting process and reaffirm the university's commitment to move responsibly forward with full-scale development of the next great American research university," said Steve Kang, chancellor of the UC Merced campus, which opened in 2005.
To compensate for the southward shift of the campus onto the university community, an approximate 230-acre parcel owned by the UCLC, LLC and an approximate 80-acre parcel owned by LWH Farms, LLC will be added to the university community. The size of the university community will be about 2,160 acres and, as previously approved, will include housing, commercial and retail offerings, a research park, schools, parks and support services for campus operations. The original acreage for the community was 2,133.
As managing member of the UCLC, the university will seek an amendment to the University Community Plan in collaboration with the County of Merced, the land use governing authority, to accommodate the revisions.
The university devised the new configuration following discussion with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which have jurisdiction over wetlands development under the U.S. Clean Water Act, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game. The County of Merced, the City of Merced and agricultural groups also have been consulted.
Through coordination by the resource agencies mentioned above, university officials also met with environmental groups, referred to as the California Endangered Species and Habitat Alliance, to identify ways for further reducing impacts to wetlands and vernal pools while still developing a thriving campus and contiguous community of sufficient size for UC-quality research and teaching. CESHA membership includes, among others, the Butte Environmental Council, California Native Plant Society, Defenders of Wildlife, San Joaquin Raptor/Wildlife Center, The Nature Conservancy and VernalPools.Org.
"Our colleagues at the resource agencies, local governments and non-governmental organizations have provided valuable feedback which has been integrated into our plan," said Kang. "We appreciate their efforts and willingness to engage with us."
"We have learned a good deal about the unique environmental qualities of this setting since the university unveiled its original development plans more than a decade ago," Kang said. "At the same time, the region has begun to witness many of the educational, economic and cultural benefits a major research university can provide, and will continue to provide for generations to come. These moves reflect a strong mutual desire to address the long-term needs of this historically underserved region while managing the impact of development as responsibly as possible."
The reconfigured main campus will accommodate up to 25,000 students at full build-out (2035), as originally planned, and support the broad scope of the university's research and instructional activities. Campus planners will consider a number of options, including repositioned facilities, slightly greater density and other measures, to achieve improved land-use efficiency. Construction activities on the ongoing first phase of campus development are not affected and will support campus development through a student population of 5,000 students.
Revised Section 404 permit applications should be ready to submit for the wetlands-development permit by this winter. The university's pending application for a permit, originally submitted to USACE and EPA in 2002, will be revised to reflect the new footprint. An application also will be filed for the university community for the first time. The University Community Plan was not completed in 2002 when the original campus application was filed. This limited the original County application to only anticipated basic infrastructure.
"The revised applications will give federal authorities a more comprehensive look at the total project," said Kang. "The applications will continue to demonstrate the critical relationship between the campus and the university community and why it's essential to build them as planned on contiguous sites. This integrated approach is far better than evaluating the projects separately."
As part of the application process, a joint Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Study for both the campus and the university community will be prepared. Public hearings will be part of the review and approval process, which is expected to take 18-24 months.
Development of the approximately 81 acres of wetlands remaining in the combined project will be fully offset by mitigation measures, the university said, to ensure "no net loss" of wetlands values and functions, as required by the U.S. Clean Water Act.
SNAPSHOT OF REVISED PLAN
• What: UC Merced will revise the configuration of the campus and adjacent university community to reduce the amount of wetland fill (by 33%) without affecting the overall scope or mission of the university. The campus will support development of a research university with 25,000 students. Development timetable is unchanged.
• When: Revised applications to federal agencies will be submitted this winter. Public hearings will be part of the review and approval process, which is expected to take 18-24 months.
• Why: Officials are confident long-term objectives can be met on a slightly smaller campus footprint, thereby reducing the impact of development. These changes will allow the permitting process to move along with renewed vision and momentum while allowing the campus and university development plans to proceed virtually unchanged.
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