(Eljp Daily (Ear Hrrl
University Master Plan to Shape Campus Growth
UNC officials hired Ayers
Saint Gross, a Baltimore
architectural firm, to
implement the Master Plan.
By Kim Minugh
University Editor
The Master Plan looks impressive on
paper.
New buildings, increased green space
and thinned traffic. Hidden parking
decks, modem science facilities and an
arts complex.
It almost sounds too good to be true.
But the highly ambitious and innov
ative plan is more than just a blueprint
for campus growth - it’s designed to be
a guiding force in UNC’s future.
“The plan should be kind of both a
map and a compass - it will help with
the location of future buildings but will
also be a flexible road map for the cam
pus in terms of aesthetics, environment
and space,” said Adam Gross, partner
with Ayers Saint Gross, the architecture
firm hired by the University to imple
ment the Master Plan.
“The plan is intended to be prescrip
tive about where the buildings go but
also flexible and almost more spiritual in
design.”
Master Plan officials say the plan’s
purpose is to direct inevitable University
growth, preventing runaway sprawl and
striving to maintain the ambiance so
dear to the UNC community.
“If your campus knows how it would
like to develop, then you have some
thing to follow for short-term growth,”
said Judith Pulley, vice president of aca
demic planning for the UNC system.
“You need to think about what facili
ties are compatible and aesthetically
pleasing for maintaining the beauty of
the campus.”
The concept of a master plan is noth
ing foreign to UNC. Officials first con
jured up a campus blueprint in the
1920s to design South Building, Wilson
Library and the area encompassing Polk
Place.
A series of plans were written and
then discarded in years to come, includ
ing one that was rejected by the late
Chancellor Michael Hooker when he
took office in 1995.
But officials say this one is special. It’s
not like the others.
It’s more than just a plan.
“The Master Plan will serve the
University for 10 to 20 years in the
future because someone will come along
with ideas,” said Jonathan Howes, direc
tor of the Master Plan. “The plan pro
vides sites for things to occur.”
David Pardue, secretary for the
Board of Trustees and a former member
of the Master Plan Executive Steering
Team, said the plan’s long-term scope
will curb ill thought-out construction on
campus. “(It’s) a long-term plan that will
ensure that construction will be done in
as pleasing a way as possible,” he said.
“Historically, we haven’t done as good a
job in laying out buildings.”
Efforts to strategically place buildings
call to mind the sporadic and discon
nected layout of South Campus - often
considered one of UNC’s most infa
mous eyesores. “(The Master Plan) will
make campus more aesthetically pleas
ing and correct mistakes made by a lack
of planning - like South Campus,”
Chancellor James Moeser said.
Pardue agreed that South Campus is
in need of attention and said it is living
motivation to plan ahead. “I realize that
South Campus will never be as beautiful
as North Campus, but we can do a bet
ter job than we’ve done.”
Jim Leloudis, director of the James
M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate
Excellence, said rapid growth in the
University’s past now haunts the future,
creating an obstacle to successful
growth.
“Some of the growth was done with
out plans - I’m not sure they were think
ing back then,” said Leloudis, who has
done extensive research on the history
of UNC’s campus. “The Master Plan
has put a lot of time in, through the
experience of the designers, to enhance
the growth.”
And with Chapel Hill residents
putting pressure on UNC to stay within
its existing boundaries, officials realize
that growth will have to be harnessed.
Board of Governors member John
Sanders, also a member of the Master
Plan Executive Steering Team, said
dwindling land space at UNC demands
a plan.
“It’s necessary because we have a
limited amount of land and a great
amount of need - those facilities need to
be placed on land in a way that makes it
efficient for student use,” he said.
“Buildings need to be placed in ratio
nal relation to each other.”
Sanders said any long-term plan will
encounter bumps in the road, such as
funding limitations, changes in leader
ship and new trends in culture and tech
nology.
Pulley agreed, saying the current
Master Plan should not be criticized for
looking too far into the future. “You
can’t envision the future with perfect
success.... Things are going to happen
that you don’t anticipate,” she said.
“It’s not a sign that earlier plans were
defective - it’s just reality.”
Sanders said constant revision as
times change will eliminate errors in
judgment that could result in mistakes.
“Buildings have a permanence. You
have to live with it for a long time to
come. Any building commitment is a
longtime commitment.”
Board of Trustees Chairwoman Anne
Cates said the plan likely will need to be
revised often, but because of necessity
instead of error. “The world is changing
so quickly -as the world changes, it will
have to be adapted,” she said.
Constant growth in the University
itself will likely demand constant atten
tion to the plan. With Moeser at the
helm pledging to make UNC the best
public university in the nation, the
University could take ambitious leaps
that will send ripples of change through
campus.
“To move ahead, to improve the
quality of the University’s performance,
then we clearly are going to need better
facilities.... I think the facilities that are
to be provided for by the ($3.1 billion)
bond and (the Master Plan) are essential
to realizing the kind of vision
Chancellor Moeser has projected,”
Sanders said.
Former Student Body Secretary
Michael Woods said it is the vision
Housing Guide
‘-k
Wmmmmsr'
wm fi&l wpir im
DTH FILE PHOTO
Students study on Polk Place in front of Wilson Library. Part of the Master Plan's goal
is to maintain the ambiance and natural beauty of UNC's campus.
behind the Master Plan that sets it apart
from past blueprints. “It’s much more of
an ideology than a concrete plan,” he
said.
“Although it’s a broad vision, as
things come up, the Master Plan will
alter itself.”
Woods said the Master Plan officials
have done an impressive job of covering
all bases when it comes to assessing the
University’s needs.
“I think they’ve done a very good job
making sure they’ve consulted a lot of
professionals about what can be done
4 fy Odum Village
I '>*, , One and two bedroom apartments available
By from S4OO to $455. Great for married
sHft - '‘•'’HtvlT students and students with children.
BPIL -
Conveniently located on campus near
UNC Hospital - classrooms, laboratories,
libraries and recreational facilities are just a
short walk away.
♦ Flexible leases ♦ Heat, water, local telephone, garbage pickup
♦ Equipped with electric range, refrigerator, washing included
machine connection. 220-volt outlet for window *■ Cable television outlet
air conditioning unit, ample closet space, & full bath community service room
♦ On-site laundry facilities * Ptay space for children
♦ Programs, educational workshops, and social events , Easy access to campus and city bus routes
To get more information about eligibility and reserving your place in Odum Village Student Family Housing.
/ visit our web site at: http:/y housing.unc.edu ot call the Odum Village Office.Of 962-5104
Jhe University Of North Cpfoiina,at Chapel Hill, Division 6f Student Affairs.. Deportment of Housing
and Residential Education. CB H 5500 Cart Building. Chapel Hill.NC 27b99-Sboo
here,” he said.
“They’ve been compiling the best
minds and the best advice.”
But Woods said the plan is lacking a
key factor - the voice of students who
make UNC what it is today.
“Maybe (student input) is not a cru
cial part, not necessarily in a critical
sense, but important to have.”
He expressed concern that in the
University’s mission to cultivate the
intellectual climate on campus, buildings
will become more important than recre
ational space.
Tuesday, February 6, 2001
Woods suggested that the plan be
revised annually by officials -and stu
dent representatives - to keep the vision
fresh.
Pardue mirrored Woods’ opinion,
saying the plan is not imperfect but has
great potential.
“It may turn out that the Master Plan
is too ambitious money-wise, and we
won’t be able to raise the money,” he
said.
“It’s a goal for us all to shoot for, but
it’s going to take many years to get
through.”
7