Campus Planning Committee: March 27, 2008

After a brief welcome and introduction, the Campus Planning Committee (CPC) commenced its March 27, 2008 meeting. There were three items on the agenda:

Approval of the February 28, 2008 Minutes

During that meeting, the Campus Planning Committee had reviewed the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery/Vivarium, the Charter Street Heating Plant, ATC Line-Overhead/Underground.

The UW-Madison Campus Masterplan

Presented by Gary Brown Director of Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture, a division of Facilities Planning and Management.

The theme of the Masterplan is “Recreating Ourselves in Place.” The two components of the theme, ‘re-creating” and “in place,” speak to the land use issue of infill development.

Infill Development can be defined as “development that occurs on contiguous vacant lots scattered within areas that are already predominantly developed or urbanized to the highest intensity allowed by the zoning designation and the General Plan” (City of Escondido Municipal Code, 2008).

Infill matters because this type of land use is ecologically sustainable. Infill can utilize existing infrastructure (streets, water/sewer, and utilities), reduce dependence on cars by taking advantage of existing/proposed transit, recycle polluted brownfields and/or vacant lots, satiate neighborhood deficiencies (housing, commerce, social services), and fit within the existing neighborhood context (height, setbacks, architectural design, mass, etc).

Most importantly, Infill does not require the University to expand its development footprint into the surrounding neighborhoods.

The University had explored two other strategies (1) creating a satellite campus and, (2) expanding the existing campus and concluded that utilizing an Infill scheme was more financially advantageous. Driving this decision is the projected increase of educational land uses (office, recreation, housing, labs, etc) of 6.3M square feet of space, from 18.5 to 25.3M and the identification of 65 acres of parking lots. It is financially cheaper to recreate a parking lot into a university building.

The Committee raised three questions:

1. Did the University enter into an agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) with the City of Madison regarding the intended developments (6.3M square feet) of the Masterplan? The answer is no.

2. How does the Masterplan affect Operating Costs? Essentially, the plan identifies maintenance intensive older buildings and examines if a new building or re-fabricated building can serve the needs of the University. The criteria is as follows:

• Does the building have historic significance (as defined by being on the National Register of Historic Places or identified by the Wisconsin Historical Society as a potentially eligible building) and/or is it a pivotal or contributing building in an identified historic district?
  

• Is the building a heritage building or signature building on campus?

• Does the building meet current and projected functional needs and if if not, can it be remodeled, renovated or reprogrammed?

• Does the facility have major building inadequacies related to its structure, HVAC,etc.?

• Is the existing site in demand for future development which has a higher & better use?
  

To understand the evaluation of buildings please click here and turn to page 81:

https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/cpla/Portals/0/2005%20CMP%20Chapter%203%20Observations.pdf

3. How does this plan effect parking on Campus? An underground parking space can cost between $25-$50K per parking space depending on the foundation, soil type, building construction, number of parking spaces, etc. In order to pay for new construction, the parking rates will need to be raised in the future.

For more UW-Madison Campus Masterplan Information:

You can find the entire master plan here:

https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/CPLA/tabid/66/Default.aspx

You can find Mr. Brown’s presentation here:

https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/cpla/Portals/0/Report%20to%20CPC%20March%2008.pdf

You can find a video presentation of the master plan, given by Alan Fish – Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Management here (click 2005-2025):

http://www.uwalumni.com/home/coolstuff/masterplan/masterplan.aspx

You can find the Campus Long Range Transportation Plan here:

https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/cpla/Portals/0/Trans%20LRTP%20031808.pdf

Design Guidelines

Presented by Dan Okoli, Director and University Architect of Campus Planning & Management, a division of Facilities Planning and Management.

What is notable about his presentation is the identification of the best location for UW-Madison amenities (Wisconsin Union, the Bascom Hill Historic District, etc.) happen to be locations built at least 80 to 100 years ago. It was striking that nothing built within that last 10 years was included. Therefore, if you have ever wondered why there seems to be a lack of design cohesion on the campus, you must examine two aspects of any campus Land Use Entitlement. An Land Use Entitlement can be defined as the right to develop land with government approvals for zoning changes, density, utility installations, occupancy permits, use permits. In this case, the government is the City of Madison.

Lets create a scenario where I want to construct a 5-story structure that will contain classrooms, faculty offices, underground parking, a small food court, and a penthouse conference room.

1. Design Review Board: After the interior requirements have been programmed (square feet, classrooms, faculty offices, underground parking, a small food court, and a penthouse conference room) and the site has been selected, I must propose an exterior design for the structure. The following is excerpted from the Campus Design Guidelines technical report:

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has neither advocated stylistic consistency nor prescribed particular roof forms, colors or materials throughout it campus; instead it is our expectation that buildings and campus places should be designed to be sensitive to their neighborhood context. Clearly such intimate dialogue between new projects and their context will take account of materials, colors, quality, scale, proportions, massing, and overall character of existing buildings and spaces in the neighborhood.

In implementing the 2005 Campus Master Plan, these criteria: richness, balance and unity should be applied to the treatment of open spaces, the buildings, and primary interior spaces…

So what architectural style should we employ? What are the heights of buildings? What about colors and materials? Answers to questions such as these are not prescribed; instead the guideline focuses on a process, through dialogue, that would lead to answers that are appropriate for our campus. It suffices to say that every project on campus should be acutely sensitive to its immediate and larger contexts, and contribute to a greater sense of coherence, even as it expresses its uniqueness and embodies the spirit of its age.

In short, the Design Review Board does not dictate a style, but reacts to proposals. It is important to note that the guidelines contain important information regarding building heights, roof materials, HVAC location, parking specs, etc. and also divides the campus into different districts (based on use, Health Sciences Neighborhood, Lakeshore Residence Neighborhood, etc.), but these are not mandatory requirements. It is hoped that the ‘dialogue’ can mitigate design concerns, but there is no formal design approval process.

If my proposed building has completed the Design Review Board, has been recommended by the Campus Planning Committee (the CPC does not review design), has received recommendation from UW-System, and has received funding from the State of Wisconsin, then I apply for a Land Use Entitlement from the City of Madison.

2. Urban Design Commission: At the City, the project needs approval by the Urban Design Commission (UDC). As a legal reviewing body, the UDC is authorized by the City of Madison General Ordinances, specifically Chapter 33.24 (http://www.municode.com/resources/ClientCode_List.asp?cn=Madison&sid=49&cid=11618).

Because the primary UW-Madison is not within a Design District, any campus project would be reviewed as a Planned Development. Therefore, under Section 33.32.4(b) of the City of Madison General Ordinance, the following shall apply:

The Urban Design Commission shall review the design of all proposed developments which are considered planned developments under provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. In exercising this power, the commission shall be bound by the provisions of Sec. 28.07(4), (5) and (6) and Sec. 28.12(11)(k) and shall report its findings to the City Plan Commission and Common Council.

As Planned Development, Section 28.07(6)(a) of the City of Madison General Ordinance, the following shall apply:

The planned unit development district is established to provide a voluntary regulatory framework designed to encourage and promote improved environmental and aesthetic design in the City of Madison by allowing for greater freedom, imagination and flexibility in the development of land while insuring substantial compliance to the basic intent of the zoning code and the general plan for community development. To this intent it allows diversification and variation in the bulk and relationship of uses, structures and spaces in developments conceived as comprehensive and cohesive unified plans and projects. It is further intended to encourage developments consistent with coordinated area site planning.

Please note that key underlined words, “voluntary, flexible, and basic intent.” In essence, the UDC, like the Design Review Board reacts to proposals rather than applies stringent design standards. Furthermore, any UDC recommendation may be amended or deleted in the subsequent hearings by the Plan Commission and the Common Council. As a result of this process, the urban design of the campus reflects a hodge-podge of styles but no unifying theme.

Alternatively within Planning, New Urbanist Design has gained traction because of its strong design principles. The implementing tool of New Urbanist Design is Form-based codes (referring to Architectural Form). These are zoning codes that place a primary emphasis on building type, dimensions, parking location and façade features, and less emphasis on uses. They stress the appearance of the streetscape, or public realm, over long lists of different use types.

The Committee raised two questions:

• A committee member responded that she considers west campus a not so great place that doesn’t have a sense of community. Mr. Okoli stated that the new ideas and compositions will be brought into the new buildings and developments and humanize the West Campus Area. He said that the conversation is happening. Alan Fish stated that once the new development is complete it will bring more green space, fewer parking lots, and will be developed on a more human scale overall.
  

• A committee member asked if the Design Review Board (DRB) gets involved in pedestrian movement. Mr. Okoli stated that the DRB doesn’t get involved in that portion of the Campus Master Plan, but he will explore future DRB involvement on that topic.

For more information on UW-Madison Campus Urban Design:

You can find the Campus Design Guidelines here:

https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/cpla/Portals/0/2005%20CMP%20Chapter%206%20Design%20Guidelines.pdf

You can find a presentation of Historic Campus photos here:

https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/FPM_Portal/Portals/0/collegeOnTheHill.pdf

You can find the City of Madison Zoning Codes here:

http://www.municode.com/resources/ClientCode_List.asp?cn=Madison&sid=49&cid=11618

You can find a brochure on Form Based Zoning Codes here:

http://www.lgc.org/freepub/PDF/Land_Use/fact_sheets/form_based_codes.pdf