UC Santa Cruz has completed work on a Draft Environmental Impact Report that assesses potential impacts related to the implementation of UCSC's Draft 2005 Long-Range Development Plan. The Draft EIR may be reviewed at no cost at three local libraries; the draft document can also be purchased at two area copy centers.
| Comments sought from public; two public meetings planned during Draft EIR's 60-day review period |
The completion of the Draft EIR is the latest step in the campus's three-year effort to update its Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP). Five public workshops were held before the Draft 2005 LRDP was completed and released this past January; following the release of the Draft LRDP, UCSC hosted three "scoping" meetings to receive input from public agencies and individuals on the scope of issues to be considered in the Draft EIR.
"We believe that this Draft EIR provides a thorough examination of the environmental impacts associated with implementing our updated LRDP-and includes a number of measures for reducing or eliminating identified impacts," said campus architect Frank Zwart, associate vice chancellor for UCSC's Office of Physical Planning and Construction. "But just as we welcomed public participation when we were preparing the Draft 2005 LRDP, we encourage public participation during the important comment period for this Draft EIR."
The Draft EIR is available off campus at:
. Santa Cruz Central Library (224 Church Street), for free on-site review.
. Santa Cruz Fed-Ex Kinko's (105 Laurel Street), for purchase of personal CD or printout.
The Draft EIR is available on campus at:
. McHenry Library and the Science & Engineering Library, for free on-site review.
. UCSC XpressIt!-Business & Creative Solutions, for purchase of computer CD or printout.
In addition, UCSC has posted the Draft EIR online (at http://lrdp.ucsc.edu) as a convenience for people who have the ability to access the document through a personal computer. (The dependability of on-line access is influenced by a number of factors, including the speed of a computer's Internet connection and the availability of up-to-date web browser and PDF software.)
People who wish to submit a comment on the adequacy of the Draft EIR may do so orally and/or in writing at public hearings that have been scheduled on the draft document. The two hearings will take place on:
. Wednesday, November 16, 2005
7 to 10 p.m., at University Inn & Conference Center
611 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz
. Wednesday, November 30, 2005
3 to 6 p.m., at the Stevenson College Events Center (formerly Stevenson Dining Hall)
UC Santa Cruz campus
Written comments on the Draft EIR may also be e-mailed, mailed, or hand-delivered to UCSC anytime before the document's comment period ends at 5 p.m. on December 19, 2005.
. E-mail:
Send comment to: lrdp-eir@ucsc.edu
. U.S. mail or other courier service:
2005 LRDP EIR Comment
UCSC Physical Planning and Construction
1156 High Street, Barn G
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
. Hand-delivery:
2005 LRDP EIR Comment
UCSC Physical Planning and Construction Reception Desk
1156 High Street, Barn G
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Within the University of California system, LRDPs are drafted to support the academic goals of individual campuses; they also take into account projected statewide enrollment demand. Upon their completion, the long-range plans define a building program and a land-use map that serve as a planning framework for capital construction, infrastructure, and land-use programs. LRDPs, however, are not implementation plans, and adoption of an LRDP does not constitute a commitment to specific projects, construction schedules, or funding priorities.
The three-year process that began in fall 2003 will produce UCSC's fifth Long-Range Development Plan, following plans that were adopted in 1963 (two years before the campus opened), 1971, 1978, and 1989.
For more information on the Draft 2005 LRDP and the Draft EIR, please go to a UCSC web site (http://lrdp.ucsc.edu) describing the project or phone UCSC's Office of Physical Planning and Construction (831/459-2170).
