Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Nov. 1, 2000, edition 1 / Page 7
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jple Plan |fr I ? jplarr mm I 111 %/ -; Ww J\\\V K^mmkin i* j* m \X\~* W * { * ■ .*%#• -tirwWl iJIF * ***wjm&** - •• jfl*lt %; mi', jPi tA :<£■’■*• *wPl ". _ jagujAk Jr Jp JBU, II „ Je fUf ]MB BWj. y owns but does not include a transit s they do now. Campus. “All of a sudden those distances, which seem enor mously far in a psychological sense, will shrink,” he said. “What’s attractive about this plan is that what it’s trying to do is pedes trianize South Campus and give it the feel of North Campus.” ' 'The Chapel Hill Preservation Society lauds the efforts to exitend the beauty of UNC across its campus. “The plan to make West and South (campuses) like North with more green spaces and a warmer feel, I think would be excellent,” Lindquist said. But for Jennifer Webber, a freshman biology major, such isolation is a part of South Campus’ appeal. “It’s like a campus in 'itself, and it’s a fun place to be because you’re with all the other freshmen,” she said. - Students and UNC officials say many of South Campus’ problems stem from an overflow of traffic. Convissor said anew approach to transit will have to be taken to maintain the atmosphere of the University in the wake of expansion. “We are growing at such a rate that We have to change the way we get around,” Convissor said. Lindquist said residents also are aware of the choice between increasing roads and parking versus preserving environmental beauty. “As townspeople we appreciate green spaces and hope that nett every square inch of space will become parking - although. parldng certainly is needed,” she said. The expansion proposed in the Master Plan worries some Chapel Hill residents, who say they are concerned an increase in- population will hurt the cozy climate of the town. “The PLAN B also includes a transit corridor and anew road providing access to UNC Hospitals that satisfy the same needs as Plan A. In Plan B, the transit corridor crosses property that the University does not own. The road access to Fordham Boulevard is on University property but continues to UNC Hospitals north of Mason Farm Road on property the University does not own. University is becoming an overpowering, domineering entity to the town,” said small-business owner Robert Palmer, who moved to Chapel Hill from California. “The town is gonna change, and you’re not going to have that small feel.” Harry Watson, UNC history professor and Carrboro resi dent, said University growth also might affect the intimate feel of Carrboro because many UNC upperclassmen choose to live off campus. “Anything that increases student populations will lead to more apartments in Carrboro,” he said. But most town officials and UNC faculty members say that rather than resist the expansion of the University, precautions should be taken to preserve its current features. “I think growth is inevitable, so we have to create new green spaces,” said Peter White, biology professor and direc tor of the Botanical Gardens. “This is a beautiful campus that should be protected for the future.” Chapel Hill Town Manager Cal Horton emphasized change that promotes the campus’s welcoming and beautiful envi ronment. “The town has grown as the University has over a long period of time, and we can all look back and see changes that have preserved many good things in the community - die beauty of the environment, both natural and built” Lindquist said continued growth must be handled with care. “Lots of things have come in and we can’t keep people from moving here because it is lovely; what we have to do is control it so that it doesn’t become a sprawl and lose the charm it has.” Funding the Vision: For Now, Ends Are Clearer Than Means As the Master Plan vision for UNC’s future finally comes into focus, the monetary sources that will make the multibillion dol lar vision a reality are still unclear. “The bulk (of the projects) don’t have funding streams attached to them,” said Jonathan Howes, director of the Master Plan. Jack Evans, interim vice chancellor for finance and administration, said the nature of the Master Plan makes it impossible to solidify many funding sources. “The Master Plan is probably a 50-year plan,” Evans said. “There are elements of the Master Flan that right now exist as footprints on the ground where we might put a building in die future.” But in the next decade, officials said they are relying on the $3.1 billion higher education bond refer endum, self-financing projects and UNC’s billion-dol lar capital campaign to get the ball rolling. Howes said a large portion of funding for Master Plan projects will come from the bond referen dum if it passes Nov. 7. The package is slated to deliver about $5OO million to UNC for the repair, renovation and construction of campus buildings. “We have some (projects) that are funded, and some are proposed to be funded from the bond issue,” Howes said. “The list of projects included in the bond issue are new buildings and old buildings, but obviously not all the buildings are provided for.” Howes said the bond money is necessary to begin construction of ambitious spending ventures such as the new science complex and for the renovation of such buildings as Murphey Hall and Caldwell Hall. And while Howes said the Master Plan is not com pletely dependent upon the passage of the bond package, he said Master Plan officials have not even contemplated the repercussions if the referendum dies at the polls. “We’re not even considering that as a possibility right now,” he said. PLAN A includes a transit corridor that provides for the type of train the Triangle Transit Authority plans to operate from Raleigh to Durham, as well as anew road that provides direct access to UNC Hospitals from Fordham Boulevard. Both the road and transit corridor cross property that the University does not own. ■ 1794: Person Hall is completed. ■ 1885 to World War I: Rebirth is what the a 1908: Davie Half is completed a 1798-1814: South Building is constructed. finally begins to recover from the Civil War and a 1912: The Batde-Vance-Pettigrew Buildings are a 1820s to Civil War: The University's fortunes rise after a difficult beginning. Grace and a 1885: Memorial Hall is completed. a 1913: "Silent Sam." the campus Confederate refinement are added to the campus monument is completed. ai 1887: The Old Well circular temple is completed. a 1822: Old West and Gerrard Hall are completed. ■ 1918: Phillips Hall is completed. a 1898-1901: The Alumni Building is completed. SOURCE: DAILY TAR HEEL ARCHIVES DTU, KRISTEN HARDY “The passage of the bond issue is absolutely essential to moving forward.” But Linda Convissor, project manager for campus facilities planning, said the bond’s failure would not cripple the project “The Master Plan would not be undermined by the bond, but the development would become significantly more slow,” she said. Other fund-raising projects slated for the near future are self-financing. Howes said a number of undertakings, such as the con struction of parking decks and the South Campus residence hall communities, will be paid for through parking and housing fees, respectively. Officials also will formally tap private contributions through a capital campaign aiming to raise more than a bil lion dollars in seven years. “We’ve been planning a fund-raising campaign for the last couple years, and it will kick off next year,” said Speed Hallman, director of development communication. And although Hallman said the fund-raising campaign and the Master Plan are separate projects, he said the two overlap - while the Master Plan lays out future priorities, the capital campaign funds the priorities. “They are independent of one another, yet very impor tant to one another,” he said. “(The capital campaign) helps us put the Master Plan in place.” Hallman said those donating private gifts during the campaign get to choose where their money goes. But he said officials will encourage donors to fund some specific Master Plan projects. “If there are partially funded buildings like the science complex, some of those we’ll be raising money for in order to supplement state bond funds.” And Hallman said he has confidence donors will think of Master Plan projects as worthy investments. “The Master Plan is a very enlightening thing for the University,” he said. Howes also said he is confident the Master Plan will gar ner the funds necessary for implementation and that non secured funding will not affect the Master Plan’s immedi ate future. “We can adopt the plan without having every square inch of funding for every square inch of building planned." The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. fay Karey Wutkowski Shr Batlij gar
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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